When Linnet and Ophelia arrived in the dining room, they found the four others already conversing loudly and rambunctiously, around a long table with a delicious-smelling array of food before them.
Brooklyn greeted the two newcomers enthusiastically and invited them to select what they wanted from the table so they could take it into the courtyard to eat. Despite the descended sun, it was a stifling hot and humid evening, but the group was enjoying one another's company so much that they hardly noticed the uncomfortable weather. They were all nearly finished with their meal and discussing the possibilities for further adventure when they were interrupted by a joyful call.
"Lexington! You're back! I missed you!" cried Xanatos' son, Alexander, as he ran across the courtyard in a set of rocket ship pajamas. The boy fell laughing into Lexington's arms and squealed as he was lifted into the air over his head.
"Alex!," Lexington greeted his young friend excitedly as he placed him on the stone courtyard floor, "I missed you too, Buddy! I want you to meet our new friends! These are Linnet, Ophelia, Thorn, and Blaze."
"Hello," the boy greeted them confidently, clearly unphased by the sight of four new gargoyle warriors, "My name is Alexander Xanatos. This is my home. And Lexington is my best friend. My mom wouldn't let me come and say hello earlier, because I had my karate lesson and then she said I needed a bath before bed. I had to wait, and wait, and wait until I could sneak out of bed without getting caught so I could come down and see you!"
"I think I like this lad," Blaze thought out loud.
"Aye, this one seems to have some pluck in him," Thorn agreed, giving Alexander a good poke with the horns on the tip of his tail, which caused him to giggle and playfully swat him away, "Most human children cower in terror at the very sight of me. Not that I blame them. I am a very menacing figure, after all."
"T'is his smell that terrorizes them," Blaze whispered to Alexander, pretending to wave offensive wafts away from his face, "But don't tell him or you'll hurt his pride."
"It's very good to meet you," Ophelia greeted warmly, bending down to take the child's hand with her claw.
"Aye, it is!" Linnet agreed, "No one mentioned to us that Xanatos had a boy."
Brooklyn cleared his throat suddenly and Lexington looked at him with concern.
"Hey, Alex," Brooklyn began in a voice that was a bit too firm, "It's wonderful to see you, but I think you had best get back to your bedroom so you don't get into trouble."
"Okay, Brooklyn," the child agreed reluctantly, but his face brightened a bit when he asked, "Lex! Will you help me fix my remote control car? It kinda crashed and I put the wheels back on, but now it won't go anymore."
"You've got it, Buddy!" Lexington replied fondly and, with a quick smile at the others, Alex disappeared through the doors that led into the corridor.
"What's up with you?" Lexington asked Brooklyn accusingly.
"I just don't think it's the best idea to make certain introductions until certain ground rules have been explained and set, regarding certain persons knowing certain things that they certainly don't need to know about."
The others glanced around the group, slightly perturbed at Brooklyn's cryptic declaration.
"I, for one, am certainly intrigued!" Blaze laughed finally .
"Aye, go on, Brooklyn!" Thorn urged, "We love a good conspiracy!"
Brooklyn shot Lexington a knowing look.
"Ugh," Lexington replied awkwardly, "There isn't much time before sunrise. Didn't you guys want to see the park? Maybe Brooklyn could work that into the late patrol?"
Ophelia looked at Linnet hopefully. She thought a bit of exploration of the vast and strange city with their new friends sounded exciting.
"You won't be with us? What will you be doing?" Linnet asked Lexington.
"Oh, I have some projects I need to finish," he explained, "After being gone so long, I'm totally behind."
"He's our tech master," Brooklyn explained with a touch of pride.
"Could I see your projects, Lexington? I've never seen a 'tech master' before."
"Well, um," Lexington stammered, looking from her to Brooklyn nervously.
"Lex…," Brooklyn warned.
Lexington scowled at his friend's warning, but then he brightened a bit and said, "I promised the kid I would fix his car. I don't suppose that requires a security clearance?" Brooklyn shrugged.
"I guess not, but…"
"Alright then!" he interrupted and grabbed Linnet's arm so enthusiastically that she hardly had the time to set down her plate and send the others a laughing farewell before being led away.
Demona approached the library apprehensively and found Goliath perched on a bench seat that was fitted into a bay window. Several books lay beside him on a worn red cushion, but he was engrossed in a newspaper. So much so, he didn't seem to notice her arrival at first. When he, at last, looked up at her, he acknowledged her with a quiet bow of the head.
"Good evening," she said, trying not to show her nerves.
"Will you come sit with me?" he asked, shoving the pile of books to the side to make room for her. She found it a somewhat unnerving request, but she obliged, caping her wings around her shoulders and kneeling on the cushion beside him. She found herself intensely aware of the warmth from his skin, his scent, and she felt she could almost sense his pulse within such a proximity. She suspected he had intentionally arranged her so that he could sense the same from her. Something told her that she should expect some sort of interrogation.
"We've been home a whole night and I've yet to see you," he commented.
"That's not unusual," she observed, "I've been in the rookery with Angela."
"So she told me when she came to the tower at daybreak. She was very happy to have you home."
"I've been happy to be there with her," she told him hesitantly. Confessing happiness to Goliath seemed almost the same as confessing a sin.
"She seems to be very well," she informed him, artfully switching to a more comfortable subject, "It won't be much longer. Perhaps another night or two."
"That's wonderful," he replied, his voice deep and thoughtful.
"Is that what you wished to speak to me about?" she asked, though she was already certain it wasn't.
"What do you think I wish to speak to you about?"
"That's not an answer!" she complained irritably, "You're playing games with me now?"
"No," he replied gently, "I am merely curious as to what is on your mind. What do you think we should be discussing?"
She shook her head in frustration.
"The terms of my imprisonment?" she guessed, "Now that we've returned?"
"Very well," he replied, having to agree that the subject required discussion, "You are given your rooms, the common rooms in our portion of the castle, including the rookery, the conservatory, and the courtyard. You will remain off the curtain wall and the towers. No television, no internet, and no contact with the outside world, just as before."
"Luach said that he may come to see me," she informed him, "If he does come, will you allow it?"
Goliath seemed surprised by the request.
"Do you wish to see him?"
She narrowed her eyes at the question. Giving a straight answer felt like admitting to something shameful.
"If I didn't wish to see him, I wouldn't have brought it up, would I?"
Goliath was studying her thoroughly and it was making her even more uneasy. Then to her even greater surprise, he reached for her claw, holding in it his own.
"Why?" he asked her candidly. She felt herself wince at the question.
"Isn't it enough that I do?" she demanded.
"I have reason to be concerned that you might try to use Luach to contact people outside the castle."
"Oh, is that what concerns you?" she retorted in a mocking tone, "I would have you remember that I have three loyal warriors at my call and I would seriously advise against attempting to ban them from seeing me or you are likely to end up with a full scale mutiny on your hands! I don't need Luach to engage in any intrigue for me when I have them."
"We'll revisit that subject in a moment," Goliath told her disapprovingly, "But let's return to the subject of Luach. I'm having difficulty understanding why you would want to see him, if not to-
"I just want to see him," she interrupted adamantly, "I like to talk with him. That is all."
Goliath looked at her sternly and silently for a long moment.
"Very well," he told her, "If he comes, you may see him."
"Thank you," she replied in relief.
"Now, about your three warriors. The last thing I want is to restrict them from you. It is clear to me that they need you and furthermore, you need them. But I cannot have you using them to dodge the rules or putting them up to subterfuge on your behalf. If you love them as much as I believe you do, you will take care not to jeopardize your privilege of having contact with them. Is that understood?"
"It is," she replied a bit resentfully, "I was only trying to prove a point. I don't intend to use them as stooges and I'm not looking for an insurrection. If they have to be here, I want them to be happy here."
"I do believe that is your intent," he assured her gently, still inexplicably holding her claw captive in his own, "But you've been known to get carried away when there is something you want."
"If you say so," was her tired reply, "Is that all?"
"Is it?" he asked and she rolled her eyes.
"How long must I play this guessing game?" she demanded, "Will you not just tell me what you want to say?"
Goliath sighed and she could sense his disappointment that she had not voluntarily told him what he wished to know, but he finally conceded.
"Why did you ask Elisa to contact Jason Canmore?"
"Oh, I see," she replied bitterly, "I suppose I should have guessed from the beginning of this conversation that she hadn't kept her mouth shut."
"I need you to tell me the truth."
"How will you know that I am telling you the truth? What is the point of me telling you anything, when we both know you can't trust a word I say?"
"Tell me the truth," he repeated, almost pleadingly, "I will believe you."
"Very well," she replied, "I propose an experimental and risky neurological procedure in which I will attempt to regenerate severed spinal tissue using only a smooth, shiny rock and the jagged pieces of my broken soul."
"Adelpha, please…" Goliath groaned. Demona raised a brow at him and crossed her arms.
"I told you that you wouldn't believe me," she retorted, trying to overcome a pang of sadness with sarcasm.
Goliath met her gaze incredulously. Releasing her claw he touched her face as if trying to steady her eyes so he could read them.
"You are being sincere," he realized, "That is what Felix's gem was for? You mean to use it to heal Jason Canmore's paralysis?"
"Exactly so."
"And you believe this will break the Hunter's curse?"
"If I were to be successful, I believe it would."
Goliath rose from the bench slowly, his shadow billowing across the moonlit outline of the window on the floor as he paced.
"Do you know how to use this stone?" he asked her thoughtfully.
"I think so. I saw a healer use one like it on Bain Felix, so I know how it is meant to work," she explained hesitantly, "But, there's still a good chance the gem won't work for me."
"Why not?" Goliath asked and Demona looked down at the shadows cast on the floor, unwilling to meet his gaze as she told him.
"The trial set by Felix the Healer was meant to test my worthiness to wield the stone. Felix never expected me to pass it, and it was by mere luck that I did. When he surrendered the stone to me, he told me that I might never be able to use it."
Goliath stopped his pacing and looked at her.
"What will happen if you attempt to use the stone on Jason Canmore, and are found to be unworthy?" he asked with a hint of suspicion.
"I have no idea," she replied honestly, glancing up to catch his reaction, "Old Felix never clarified that. Perhaps nothing would happen. Perhaps I would be punished in some way. Perhaps Canmore would be as well. It's a risk I will just have to take."
Goliath grimaced at this declaration and his pacing continued. Demona watched him passing back and forth before her.
"I told you the truth," she observed, "What will you do now?"
Goliath looked at her again, then rejoined her on the bench, overwhelming her once again with his warm touch and distractingly pleasant scent.
"I do not know exactly what I will do. Not yet. We need some help, but I think I know where to get it."
"Help from whom?" she asked anxiously, "Remember, you can't tell anyone anything about Bain Felix."
"I remember," he assured her, "And I won't betray our promise. But if I am going to help you, I need more answers."
"You will help me?" she asked, as if she were certain she'd misunderstood.
"How can I not, now that you've given me your trust?"
Slowly, Demona rose to her feet.
"Thank you," she said softly. Then she quickly left the library and hurried down the corridor.
It was only a short time before sunrise when Linnet returned to the rookery, searching for her leader. She found both Demona and Angela asleep there. Linnet shook Demona's shoulder, upset to have found her unconscious by night, but her frantic voice woke Angela, who groggily assured her that Demona was just fine and had used the implants to cause herself to sleep, so she didn't have to endure the painful transformation to her human form.
"Come on," Angela urged her, "Let's go up to the tower. It will be dawn soon."
"Are you in any pain?" Linnet asked her as they ascended the stairs to the courtyard.
"No, not at all," Angela assured her, "I'm just very tired. Did you enjoy your dinner?"
"Aye, I did!" Linnet replied with a wide smile, "I-
She paused, looking a bit embarrassed to continue. Angela smiled knowingly at her.
"My brothers make for good companions, don't they?" she asked slyly and Linnet smiled even more broadly.
"They might," she reluctantly admitted with a laugh. Her expression grew more solemn as they made their way across the courtyard to the tower.
"Angela?" she asked, "Do you think it is always wrong to deceive someone you love and respect?"
"Deceive them how?"
"By keeping from them things they may wish to know?" Linnet clarified, her pleasant face fixed in a tight expression of woe and frustration.
Angela frowned at her question and the serious angst it was clearly causing her.
"Do you want the 'correct answer' or the 'real life answer' ?" she asked her.
"What do you mean?"
"Well the correct answer is that it is right to keep information from someone you love if you know they couldn't use the information in any beneficial way, and that it would only be a burden to them. But the real life answer is that it is often hard to know and it hurts when you love someone and you can't share things with them. Sometimes, you just have to use your best judgment."
Linnet seemed to consider this as they climbed the curtain wall and the tower.
"There are so many things that I must keep from my mother," Angela admitted to her sadly, "I love her, and I want to share my life with her. I want her to trust me. What little faith she has in others does not come easily for her. But there are certain things she simply should not know about. Such information only serves to make her dangerous to others, tempt her toward fear and hate, and separate her from those she loves. I don't want that for her, so I protect her with silence. And I think she understands."
"Does she?" Linnet asked hopefully, but Angela didn't have a chance to answer as Ophelia practically charged into her embrace.
"I take it you had a nice evening as well?" she laughed at her exuberant sister.
"Wonderful!" she exclaimed without hesitation, "I'm so happy to be here!"
"I'll assume Brooklyn was a perfect gentleman?" Angela asked with a laugh.
"He was wonderful," Ophelia confirmed.
"I'll assume my brothers behaved like embarrassing hatchlings, as usual," Linnet scolded as she cast a suspicious look at the curtain wall below them. Their trip to the park had mysteriously provided Thorn and Blaze with skateboards. Now they engaged one another in a friendly race up and down the walkway by spreading their wings and windsurfing across the bumpy cobblestones.
"They're very different from Brooklyn and Lexington," Ophelia admitted, "But I like them as well."
"Which do you like the best?" Linnet asked with a playful lack of inhibition and Ophelia's face became more serious.
"They're all fine, handsome warriors," she said, "But I'm not inclined to choose a favorite just yet. This new world has shown me so much in just a few nights, and yet there is so much more to see and to learn. I realize now, that I don't know myself yet. I do not yet know my own heart. And if I have not yet found the purpose for my life, how could I possibly choose who to share with with?"
Linnet looked a bit troubled at this sentiment, but Angela embraced her sister fondly.
"You are very wise," she praised her, "It's good to wait until you know your own heart, but don't stall for perfection. Love has a way of showing us more of ourselves than we could otherwise see. Sometimes we can't know our own selves fully, until love makes us truly whole."
The others had already gathered atop the tower and Angela took her place beside her mate to greet the dawn.
"It's starting to get down right crowded up here," Broadway commented to Brooklyn as they took their places.
"Yeah," he agreed as he made space for Blaze and Thorn, who had abandoned the skateboards to join them, "It's about time too!"
Linnet went to join her brothers, who were now exuberantly discussing points of interest in the skyline, but Lexington quietly called her name and extended his arm for her to join him on the small cornice he typically occupied.
"No funny business over there!" Thorn scolded her in the mocking tone of a fussy elder.
"Aye! Keep those wings caped and those claws and tails out in the open or you shall have two devoted chaperones tomorrow!" Blaze threatened jokingly.
'Quiet, you pests!" she barked back at them, and to Lexington she asked coyly, "Do you reckon there is room for me there?"
"You'll fit perfectly," he assured her with a smile.