Demona tore blindly down the side of the ledge, not the least bit concerned about injuring herself. Her human hands couldn't grip the rocky surface, and she tumbled several yards, to the leafy forest floor, down a steep embankment from the road, knocking the wind from her lungs. She could hear Luach's voice, calling to her as he struggled to follow her. Numb to the pain of her fall, she awkwardly got to her feet again and began to run. The last few blades of daylight pierced the forest with an eerie, red glow and she ignored the road entirely and made her way in the general direction of the cliffs. At last, she came to the top of the ridge, and she sighed a quick breath of relief as she realized that now any path she took down the hillside would bring her to her destination.

She had left the cloak where it had fallen in the dust, and she was aware that she'd lost the guiding wand at some point or other. Only the woven bag remained with her, as it was securely strapped across her shoulder. But if she had lost that as well, she wouldn't have stopped. She barreled down the hillside, tripping and falling frequently, until she emerged from the forest and tumbled down an embankment into the bed of a shallow stream. She gasped as the cold water hit her, and climbed up the opposite embankment, just as the sun disappeared beneath the horizon. The transformation stopped her in her tracks and she crumbled to the ground in pain. The fairy's slippers fell off as her feet took their own natural form and with a cry of anguish, she spread her wings and allowed the wind to lift her.

She sped along the tree line, searching desperately for her companions, and as she approached the footprint of the former castle, she caught sight of them, looking as if they meant to take off from some large boulders. She saw Lexington's claw gesturing towards her and was relieved to see the others turn and watch her approach. She could almost read Goliath's expression of concern from far away. She didn't know what she wanted from him, or even what he could offer that would help in the situation, but she was shaking with rage and confusion, and she hadn't felt so panicked and vulnerable since the time following her treatment by Dr. Chatoorgoon. She was genuinely afraid that facing this latest revelation was pushing her past what she was capable of enduring. She wasn't sure of what might be happening to her, or what he could do about it, but she felt a sense of relief now that Goliath was near.

She landed awkwardly before them and immediately crouched on the stone ground.

"It took me longer to find these two than I expected, and we wouldn't have made it back by sunrise," he explained apologetically, then paused to study her, "Adelpha?"

Demona didn't answer or even look at them in response.

Lexington asked, "Where did you go? Did you find a phone to call Xanatos?"

Still she didn't answer and the other three looked at each other in alarm. Ophelia knelt beside her and touched her shoulder sympathetically.

"Did you speak to Xanatos?" Goliath urged her, "Is everything alright with the clan?" She nodded emphatically, still not making eye contact.

"Goliath?" Ophelia observed, "How she trembles! What is wrong with her?" Goliath drew nearer, watching her anxiously.

"Did something happen in the village?" Lexington suggested to which she shook her head. Goliath touched her face and drew her gaze up to meet his own. Dismayed, she sighed and pulled his claw away. It was taking all the emotional fortitude she had to keep herself from losing it, and she knew she didn't have the strength to provide the very long story that would be required to explain what had happened. She wished she had a notepad so she could write a message. Something along the lines of, "No, I didn't kill anyone. Now, kindly leave me alone for a while!" She looked with concern at her own trembling claws, then burried her face in them. .

"Just not too much alone!" she thought to herself.

Surprisingly, Goliath seemed to understand even without her being able to say it.

"This land has a haunting, sorrowful spirit for all of us," he observed, "We've completed the task that was needed. Perhaps it is best we leave it now and continue on our journey." The others nodded their agreement, but Demona managed to croak,

"I can't!" before resting her head in her claws, her shoulders quaking as if she struggled to breathe.

"Why not?" Lexington asked impatiently, and she shook her head in response.

Goliath replied, "Then we will all stay together, until we are all free to leave."

A few moments passed in awkward silence as the others all tried to guess what was going on.

"Adelpha?," Lexington finally broke the silence as he removed the control panel from his computer bag tentatively, "Do you want me to turn on your implants so you can rest for a while?"

Goliath nodded his agreement, "Perhaps a couple hours of rest would be beneficial? We could go back to the skiff and have a meal of some of the provisions they gave us on Bain Felix and then Lexington and I could try to find a way to contact Brooklyn ourselves."

"I would stay with you," Ophelia assured her, linking her arm into hers. Demona gave her a soft, grateful smile. The young one's gesture reminded her of her own rookery sisters and how she had relied on them. They had always banded together to encircle any of their sisters who were hurting or in trouble. She wondered if they could have known what she would become, would they have done the same for her? She looked up at the faces of Goliath and Lexington, looking back at her with concern, and nodded.

"Thank you, Lexington," she replied softly, and he handed her the control.

"Come," Goliath directed, "Let us return to the cliffside."

"No," Demona interrupted, "Not the cliffside."

Without much of an explanation, Demona guided them to the wooded area atop precipice and showed them the skiff.

"Ummm….How?" Lexington demanded incredulously.

"It's a long story," she whispered wearily, as she climbed inside the impossibly beached water craft and settled herself in the corner. Once she had engaged the implants and fallen asleep, Lexington said,

"It's going to be a fun job, getting this boat back in the water. How do you think she managed it?"

"I don't know," Goliath admitted, glancing around the immediate area as if in the hope that the manner in which the boat had ascended two-hundred yards would become clear.

"What do you think happened to her during the day, to make her so upset?" Ophelia asked.

"Let us hope it was nothing too terrible. I think there's a good chance that, after all that has occurred the last few nights, merely being alone with her thoughts all that time affected her somehow."

Lexington shrugged. He somehow suspected something more than forced self-reflection was going on, but as he had no guess as to what, he wasn't going to offer an argument.

"If we were in danger," Goliath continued, "I suspect she would have found a way to tell us."

"Yeah. And I bet she'd be a bit more reluctant to be taking a nap right now!" Lexington agreed.

"I'm sure you are right, Goliath," Ophelia cooed, smiling at him with open admiration, "It's so wonderful how kind and compassionate you are toward her." Goliath looked at her questioningly, but then nodded his head in thanks for her compliment.

Lexington looked down awkwardly. Nothing Ophelia said was untrue, but the way she said it was awkward. As he and Ophelia had explored the former site of the castle, he had attempted to tell her some of the history and the stories he'd remembered, but she had always turned the conversation back to Goliath. She seemed to want to know everything about him and whatever Lexington could think to say was met with a barrage of ongoing, enthusiastic praise from her. He certainly understood her admiration of Goliath. He admired him as well and had always looked to him as somewhat of a hero, even as a hatchling. But this young female's brand of hero worship was too much for Lexington. It reminded him uncomfortably of the brief period in which he had been blindly infatuated with The Pack, a group of television heroes that had turned out to be nothing of what they claimed to be in real life. Of course, Goliath truly was a kind soul and a just leader who would never intentionally harm her as The Pack had attempted to harm the clan. Lexington reasoned that Ophelia's obsession, while annoying, was certainly not dangerous and it wasn't his place to criticize.

Suddenly, their thoughts were disrupted by the sound of voices overhead. Surprised, they waded through the undergrowth to the edge of the trees to investigate.

"Goliath, look!" Ophelia called out as she pointed to three winged figures, heading toward them on the wind.

"Other gargoyles!" Lexington cried out excitedly.

"They are not of the clan on Avalon," Ophelia told them, accurately guessing her companions' first question.

"Could they be following us from Bain Felix?" Goliath wondered aloud, as he watched them pass again and again near the tree line. They looked as if they were searching for something or someone.

"Goliath!" Lexington cried out in realization, "There's a human on the largest one's shoulders! Remember the warrior who spoke to Adelpha on Bain Felix? He said he encountered three gargoyles in Scotland, who were accompanied by a man, and that they were looking for her!"
Goliath gave a low, and somewhat suspicious growl, but replied, "Then let them find us instead."

The three of them stepped out from behind the trees so that the other warriors might approach them. They were seen immediately, and the others landed on the bare, rocky terrain before them.

"They look like us!" Goliath observed in surprise.

"Of course!" Lexington replied happily, "They're gargoyles!"

But that wasn't exactly what Goliath had meant. He had been fortunate to see several clans of Gargoyles around the world during his travels. He'd found that each clan had shared distinctive features. Even the clan on Bain Felix, had a somewhat exotic look to him. But these three had many of the same features as the clan that had borne him, and the clan on Avalon that was descended from them. "The Scottish stock", a friend from an English clan had once called it, and Goliath recognized it at once with delight.

"We could be kin!' he commented with a hint of hope.

The three new gargoyles appeared equally as hopeful and excited as they landed and bowed in greeting.

"Our warmest greetings, Friends," saluted the smallest of the three, who was also the only female. She stepped forward and joined claws with each of them in turn. Despite being small in stature, and having a look of being dramatically underfed, her form betrayed the strength of a well-trained warrior. Her attractive face boasted round, expressive eyes and was framed by long, graceful horns. Her black hair was braided into a crown on her head. She had a welcoming, confident air about her, while her brothers stood at a distance behind her.

The larger of the two male warriors had a solemn and calculative expression. He stood with a confident pose, powerful wings outstretched, and a protective claw resting on the shoulder of the man, who stood close beside him. The second male shared his brother's dark blue complexion and array of ridges on his brow, but could not have had a more contrasting demeanor. He stood, with arms and wings folded. His expression was both friendly and shy as he left his sister to make the first interaction with the strangers. All three looked eager and curious, and Goliath noted that despite their well-trained forms, they all appeared to have known a substantial period of hunger.

"We've hoped and prayed that we would find others of our kind still in the world," the female told them, "We are all that is left of our clan."

"We understand," Goliath agreed, "Our clan is very small as well."

"Are these cliffs your home?" she asked him.

"They were once," he explained, "Long, long ago. But now we are only visiting. Our home is very far from here, across the sea." Goliath pointed to the west and the female looked amazed.

"Across the sea? In the land of the Vikings?"

"No. Even further," Goliath explained, "An island called, 'Manhattan'. It is our protectorate."

"You protect the humans that live there, and they protect you while you sleep?" she asked.

"Exactly so." The female looked put at ease when she heard this.

"The last of our kind that we encountered were a bit hostile to the idea of gargoyles living among humans," she explained.

"That's putting it lightly," sniffed the smaller of the males behind her.

"Do you have a protectorate, my brothers?" Goliath asked them and the two glanced at one another uneasily.

"As of now, we're with him," the smaller explained, gesturing toward the man with a degree of familiarity and even affection. The man bowed his head with grateful humility in response.

"Sir, you will find that we are not the least bit hostile toward humans," Goliath assured the man, "Indeed. We know the value of a loyal friend, human or gargoyle. Our survival depends on it."

"Thank you, my friend," the man replied, nodding his agreement, "We've been alone so long, and that is a welcome sentiment. We've traveled many weary nights. We search for another of your kind. A female who is called, 'Demona'. " The man noticed their reactions at the name and cried hopefully,

"You know her?"

They looked at one another with wide, anxious eyes, not sure of what they ought to say to these strangers-.

"Please!" the man entreated, "We must see her. Do you know where she is? Do you know where we might find her?" The three gargoyles began to plead similarly until Goliath raised his claws in a gesture for silence.

"Friends, you must understand that we have good reason to speak of this with reluctance. It can be very difficult to know who to trust, and when it comes to Demona, things are often not as they seem."

"Then you do know her?" the female asked hopefully.

"We know her," Goliath admitted, "She was born of our clan. Indeed, she was my rookery sister. Now we hold her as a prisoner."

"As a prisoner?!" the large male cried in outrage. It was the first time he had spoken.

"Born of your clan, you say?" the man asked, keeping calm and gesturing for his friend to do the same, "Then perhaps we were premature in our hope. The one we seek could not have been born of your clan. The same name must be a heartbreaking coincidence."

"I'm not so certain," Goliath replied, "But it is best we know for sure, either way. Come." He gestured for them to follow him into the woods, which they did. Goliath led them to the skiff, where they beheld Demona, laying unconscious and all three became enraged.

"What have you done to her?" the larger male cried, eyes burning fiercely as he took a posture for battle.

"She's not injured," Ophelia assured them, "She merely rests. Lexington can awaken her." Lexington nodded earnestly and three three others calmed a bit, but still looked very distressed and anxious at the sight of Demona laying helpless and unconscious.

"Friend, I have not asked your name," Goliath said to the man, "Will you tell me now, in good faith?"

Looking slightly distressed, the man replied, "I am an honest man. I mean no deception. But I hesitate to give you my name because I fear you will not be able to believe it and will think me either mad or malicious."

"Tell us the truth and we will believe you," Goliath promised. The man drew a deep breath and said,

"I am Luach, son of Macbeth. Once I was the high king of this land. These warriors are what is left of the force that once defended my realm and this…" He gestured toward the sleeping gargoyle in the boat, "Is their leader. Until very recently, I believed her to be my beloved friend. I realize that what I say must sound impossible to you but-

"We believe you," Goliath assured him, "How is it you have come here?"

Apparently emboldened by Goliath's belief in his story, he explained how two of Oberon's children had come to him in the form of two gargoyles, the night of his last battle with Canmore.

"I lay mortally wounded on the field. I believed myself to already be dead when I saw the two strange figures approach. There was an elder Healer and his apprentice, who he directed to do the magic that brought me out of death. Once I was able to walk again, they guided me through a mysterious mist and then through a ring of fire. I had never seen such powerful magic!"

"A ring of fire!" Goliath repeated in alarm, "Did you travel through time?"

"Aye, we did just that!" Luach replied, "The two fairfolk led me through to a different time and space, and I beheld the majority of these gargoyle's brethren shattered into dust at the hands of Canmore's men. I took hold of my sword and fought the murderers. I slew five of them and removed their helmets. But none of them was Canmore. He was not among them. He was miles away, waging battle against my father and I was only able to save these three. The two fairies instructed me to take them through the fire again, into the future, and help them find their leader. I begged them to take me to the battle and allow me to save my father from Canmore's hand, but they would not allow it. They told me I must not seek revenge against Canmore, or all would be lost, but I must take these warriors through the gate of fire and bring them back to their leader, and then I will be reunited with my father. And so we've been wandering for nearly half a year, seeking her. And here she is at last."

Luach sighed, and sat on a nearby log, holding his head in his hands. Goliath looked dismayed as well. He had thought that he had successfully rid them of the Phoenix Gate by releasing it into the time stream, but it seemed that somehow, it had resurfaced again, and was now in the hands of Oberon's children. The idea disturbed him greatly.

As Luach had spoken, the trio of young gargoyles had joined Demona in the bottom of the boat and were now crouched around her, almost as if in mourning.

"Please!" the female beseeched Lexington, "If you truly can wake her, do it now!" Lexington glanced at Goliath who nodded in agreement, then he entered the code for the implants to allow her to awaken. A moment later, Demona opened her eyes and saw the three young warriors all crouching around her. Unable to think of anything to say, she embraced all three of them emotionally. As Goliath watched her, he met her eyes over the smaller male's shoulder. He recognized her fear. He had known the same fear himself on several occasions. They were hers. They looked to her to guide them wisely, and she had no idea what to do with them.