Chamberlain slept well into the afternoon. The shade from the tree had blocked the suns' rays from waking him up, but there had been sounds that had woken him off and on.

He yawned and got up when he was ready. He remembered his banishment when he saw himself lying on the ground first, then remembered the new creature and looked over to make sure it hadn't been a dream. Brooklyn was still there in his spot, posing in his stone sleep.

Now that he was up for the day, Chamberlain went to find some water. He was thirsty and getting hungry by the minute. Some water would help until he could find some food. He found one nearby.

After drinking his fill from the water hole, Sil wondered what he was going to do for food. He wasn't the best hunter. That was usually the Garthim's job, not his.

He took note of the surroundings and went looking for some animals to try to catch if he could, but otherwise would try for plants or fruits if he had to. The land was so devoid of life much anymore when it came to food.

In the end, he had to settle on the plants. Animals kept on getting away from him. He finished his meal and went back to Brooklyn. The Greater Sun was setting first. His hunting had taken the rest of the day.

Then the Rose Sun. "One more sun to set." Chamberlain said aloud. He was anxious for Brooklyn to wake up and give him someone to talk to again.

Finally, the Dying Sun set. Chamberlain waited for Brooklyn to snap out of it. "Wake up, Brooklyn!" he ordered.

Then, Sil heard a cracking noise, then growling. He backed away. He noticed cracking on the stone. What was happening? Was he breaking? Then the eyes glowed bright white. He fell to the ground in shock as stone fragments splintered off the gargoyle. He closed his eyes to protect them as well as covering them.

Brooklyn roared as his stone skin came off. He stretched and yawned. Then his eyes returned to normal. He looked around and saw Chamberlain on the ground. "You okay?" he asked in concern.

Chamberlain lowered his arm. He was still in shock. "You...?"

"Yes?"

"Your eyes glowed! Skin cracked! Thought you break!"

"Of course! My stone skin does that every sunset, Chamberlain. It does no harm to me. My eyes glow with the adrenaline that it causes. They also glow when I get mad, and when pain is involved too." Brooklyn explained. "And my wound is now gone." He glanced down at his arm. He took what was left of the leaf off where the wound had been.

The Skeksis looked too. His eyes were used to the dark, but there was still some light yet. He saw that the wound was gone! "That incredible! Never seen that fast of healing!"

"Our kind calls it the 'concrete cure.'" Brooklyn smiled happily, glad that his wound was healed.

"And no scar?"

"Nope. No scar. Except maybe when we get really old. Then there might be scars. Hudson sure has quite a lot, being the oldest in my clan."

"Hudson? What are names of Brooklyn's clan?" Sil asked.

"Goliath, he's our leader, he's purple-colored with almost black hair; Angela is his daughter, she has the same colors, but her mother's looks. Demona is her mother. I hate her! I'm the second in command; Lexington is green and is the smartest of us; Broadway is our cook, he's a blue green. Hudson is our oldest, he was the leader before he passed it to Goliath, he's also brownish; and Bronx is kind of like our dog or pet, he's all blue. He's the only one without wings. And another thing; me, Lex, Broadway, Hudson, and Bronx, are all named after parts of our home, New York City." Brooklyn explained, chuckling on that last part.

"Hmm. Interesting. But why hate Demona?"

"She nearly tried to kill me and the clan many times! She's not part of the clan anymore, though she was one of the survivors of our clan's massacre. She has red hair, blue skin, and purple wings." Brooklyn explained. "She's also immortal."

Brooklyn looked at the Skeksis. He was clearly intrigued. He had Chamberlain's attention. "What?" he asked.

"How she immortal, hmm?" Chamberlain asked intently. He would love to hear about that. Perhaps there could be potential for him and even the other Skeksis.

"Magic. Sorcery." he replied. "Magical beings helped her. She is also able to become human in daylight. And being our enemy, all but Angela, she would love to kill us in our sleep."

"All Skeksis hate me. Hate my voice, my ways. I lose Trial by Stone. They all turn on Chamberlain and thought had good friends among Skeksis. They banish me."

"What is a 'Trial by Stone?'" Brooklyn asked.

"Emperor die. Is contest to see who new emperor will be. Also, one of ways Skeksis use to settle fights without hurting one another. We use swords to break a big stone in half. One who breaks bigger part off is winner." Sil explained.

"Sorry about the emperor. If only humans had used that method to settle disputes would have been easier on themselves. And who are your clan members?"

"SkekUng is General and new Emperor. He is also Garthim Master. SkekZok is Ritual Master, SkekShod is Treasurer, SkekOk is Scroll Keeper, SkekTek is Scientist, SkekEkt is Ornamentalist, SkekNa is Slave Master, and SkekAyuk is Gourmand." Sil stated. "Chamberlain would have loved to be emperor."

"I heard you say slave master. You mean you have slaves in the castle?" Brooklyn asked. He was against that, but he knew how the former ruler of his castle home, Princess Katherine and even her father, had had servants too.

"Yes. Skeksis need servants to help with tasks that we not all be able do ourselves." Sil replied.

"I guess I'm not that unfamiliar with that. Humans back in my world did that too, a long time ago. But, as for me, I'm next in line to be leader if something would happen to Goliath. I'm not in a hurry though. I did have that role once, when he, Elisa, Angela, and Bronx were on a quest. I let him have it back when they came home again."

"Who Elisa?"

"She's a human friend and ally of ours. One of very few." Brooklyn replied. "Despite being different, I would say she and Goliath are a pair after Goliath wasn't with Demona anymore, when we found out she wasn't the same anymore."

"What you mean?" Sil asked.

"I mean when we found out she had turned on her clan. Betrayed us all." Brooklyn replied.

"Hm. Can you catch food?" Chamberlain asked, changing the subject.

"I can, but I don't do it often. I'm used to just having food at home and eating when I want to."

"Same here, but Skeksis not good hunters. Garthim do hunting for us. One of us once was called Hunter. SkekMal. Was very wild Skeksis. Lived outside castle but returned sometimes." Chamberlain said. "Hungry?"

"I've actually been that way since I got here, but the wound last night took my mind off of it." Brooklyn explained. "Why don't we just go back to your castle instead. I really don't want to kill anything. I would rather eat fruit before killing something."

"Had to eat plants earlier. Not my idea of good meal. Must eat meat but eat plants too when needed." Sil said.

"I will eat meat, but like I said, I don't want to kill anything. These creatures have a right to live too. A lot of humans deny animals on Earth their right to exist."

Sil felt that the more he listened, the more his kind had in common with these humans, whatever they were. "Can Skeksis help with human problem?"

"No. Humans would be dangerous to you too. They fear what they don't understand, as Goliath says. You would have to live in shadows, stay hidden to stay alive." Brooklyn exclaimed. "They would try to kill you. They have very dangerous weapons."

"Skeksis have weapons too." Sil declared.

Sil and the other Skeksis had done all they could to prevent themselves from dying off by even doing away with all the Gelflings. He didn't want to die by any means. This gave news to Sil to be on the edge if he ever was able to go to this Earth, not that he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to learn something new, or to get away from his kind.

"What kind of weapons?"

"Swords. Knives. Daggers. Armor. All sorts of weapons." Sil stated.

"Humans have evolved much further than that with their weapons, but yeah, they used to use weapons like those back in the time I was really young. After having been placed under the spell and waking up a thousand years later, they use a different kind of weapon called a gun. You have to know how to dodge the bullets that get fired from it, or lasers. Depending on what's used." Brooklyn explained. He wanted to get off that subject. "How about we go to your castle now. Would your clan allow you back after banishing you?" Brooklyn asked.

"Skeksis not kill other Skeksis. I make peace with Brooklyn and Skeksis that you not Gelfling. Skeksis not harm Brooklyn." Sil declared. He had been fascinated by Brooklyn's information about different weapons, plus much more. Even the other Skeksis would probably want to hear about it. But he still wasn't going to give away one big secret that he had done to one of his own a long time ago.

"That's good. You said the Crystal could send me home?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go. Which way?"

Chamberlain pointed west. "I walk long way. Feet hurt."

"Oh, I could take care of that. If we find a big rock or so, I could glide us to your castle. It's a lot faster." Brooklyn suggested. "Not afraid of heights, are you?"

"Not that aware of." Chamberlain wasn't sure. "Not want be dropped."

"You can ride on my back. Just hold on to my neck, but not too much. I need to have a good high place to take off from. I can't just jump off the ground." Brooklyn stated. "And tell me where to go."

"Hmm, yes. Sound like better plan than walking." Sil agreed, but he still felt unsure about gliding.

As they began to start looking for a good rock to use, Sil saw how Brooklyn walked too. He had sharp taloned feet, and an upper talon on his heel so he walked on the tip of his toes. Sil had sharp talons on his toes too but walked flat-footed. He also had shoes on by this time in his history too that protected his feet from the ground. They looked like sandals.

They looked for a small while and soon came to a big rock with a tree nearby. "That rock will work fine." the gargoyle said. They walked over to it. "Wait here."

Chamberlain watched as Brooklyn climbed up a tree, then he jumped off. He tested the wind. "The wind has good up and down drafts. I could deal with that." Brooklyn said, then he went back down to the ground. Sil got to see how he had taken off and landed. He sure didn't flap his wings much.

"Alright, now, you follow me up on the rock, grab on, and we'll go." Brooklyn explained.

"Yes. Mmm." Sil swallowed, a little fear in his voice.

"You sound like you're afraid." Brooklyn said.

"Just never flown." Chamberlain replied.

"I promise, I won't drop you, and the secret is don't look down, though I know it often can't be helped."

"I think that be best for me." Chamberlain said.

Sil tried to get on then, but Brooklyn said to wait until up on the rock. They got up there, then Brooklyn lowered his height a bit for the Skeksis to grab hold of his shoulders, then he stood up again.

"You ready?" Brooklyn asked.

"Yes." Sil replied softly in his ear. He and Chamberlain walked toward the edge.

Brooklyn lifted Sil off the ground a bit. Now he was on the edge. "Close your eyes." Sil did as told.

Then, the gargoyle gave a leap and jumped off the rock.

Chamberlain felt a jump and a rush of air in his face. He opened his eyes at the shock of it. He saw the landscape getting further beneath them both and going faster now, and Brooklyn was going higher. He was lifting into the air! He couldn't help but open his mouth in shock. Brooklyn flapped his wings a little to gain more momentum till he caught a good, strong updraft.

The Skeksis was a good light weight for someone nearly Brooklyn's height. At least Brooklyn could carry him. Right now, Sil didn't have the weight of his heavy robes at the moment. They would be back at the castle in no time, traveling this way.