AN: Dear Reader,
This will be the final chapter. I hope you have enjoyed the story and I appreciate you reading it! It's been so much fun to write about these characters and I can't believe I got so into it that I've been writing for over a year now! Even though the story is over, I still enjoy reviews and if you notice any mistakes, I will be doing some editing, so I will get the chance to correct them. If you would like to read another story in this series, I am currently working on and posting chapters in "The Rogue of the Mountain", which is a story centered on Brooklyn and the perils of leadership. I have outlined and begun another story, which is currently untitled, but I've got it on hold while I finish "Rogue". I hope you've enjoyed my story and thanks for reading!
Thanks Again,
Allegra
"It has been three days!" Goliath growled in frustration, "And she still hasn't returned!"
"We've been keeping an eye on her," Xanantos replied from behind the monitors on his large desk. He had a calmness that Goliath found infuriating. Brooklyn and Angela stood at Goliath's side, both looking frustrated and anxious as well. After the battle with Jon Canmore, Xanatos had used GPS to track Demona across the river, away from the city, and into a dense and remote area of the state forest in Pennsylvania. She had remained in the same spot for nearly forty-eight hours, and Xanatos had sent drones and steel clan robots to try and find out what she was up to and apprehend her if necessary. To his surprise, however, her activity in the forest seemed to be remarkably unconcerning.
"What is she doing out there?" Angela demanded in exasperation.
"Other than indulging in long naps and hurling rocks at my drones," he replied with disdain, "She doesn't seem to be doing much of anything."
"Well, then let's get her back before she starts doing something!" Brooklyn urged, "She's got a whole beautiful cell. She can do 'nothing' just fine, right here in the castle."
"She knows we're watching her," Xanatos reasoned, "And she knows we can still use the implants to stop her. I will leave the choice to you, Goliath, but I don't think she is running away. I think there is something else going on. Maybe she just needs time?"
Goliath gave a low growl as he considered the situation.
"I don't like her out there alone," he replied at last, "I fear what may be going on inside her and after all that's happened…"
"What do her scans show?" Angela asked after a quiet moment.
"They're very active," Xanatos admitted, "She's anxious. Something is clearly troubling her. But she's not raging and she isn't falling into despair. I think she needs-"
"She needs her clan," Goliath interrupted, "Solitude has never done her any good before. It's only served to amplify her torment and deprive her of hope. Why should we expect otherwise now?"
"Understood," Xanatos replied, "Say the word and I'll shut her down and have a steel clan robot retrieve her. She'll wake up in here, in her own room, without a scratch on her."
"No," Goliath replied resolutely, "Take me to her. I will bring her home myself."
Xanatos raised an eyebrow at this plan, but assured Goliath that he would arrange for the trip immediately. After instructing Brooklyn to take the others on patrol, Goliath waited for Xanatos in an office adjacent to the immense bay where the hovercraft was kept inside the castle. Through the one-way glass of a small window, he could see two mechanics preparing the hovercraft for launch. The gate to the launch pad was already rolled open, and the lights of the city glowed from beneath the tower. It was an impressive view. Beyond the great towers of the city, a carpet of light continued almost to the horizon. Demona, he knew, was far beyond all of those lights, alone in the quiet darkness of a wilderness that almost seemed unreal from where he stood, battling another darkness of her own making.
Reluctantly, Goliath let his mind wander to the footage Xanatos had shown him of the battle Demona had faced with the Hunter. It had been hard for him to recognise the same warrior he knew in the strange form of the unarmed, red-haired woman, fighting for the lives of her children against the merciless Hunter. The cruelty she had endured at his hands infuriated him, for she was his to protect and his nature had not allowed him to be at her side. At the same time, he was both amazed and confused at how she had faced him. She had shown tremendous restraint, choosing not to end the madman's life at several points when she had a clear, easy chance to do so. He wondered what had stopped her.
"I understand we're planning a rescue mission," Owen snidely interrupted Goliath's thoughts as he entered the office carrying a box of supplies, "How very romantic."
Goliath ignored the taunt but went straight to the question that was on his own mind.
"What do you want with Adelpha and why have you been using Xanatos' son to manipulate her?"
Owen surprised Goliath with a rare smirk.
"You ask the wrong questions, Goliath," he chided him, "I serve Alexander, not the other way around."
"I was under the impression that you were supposed to be protecting him," Goliath pointed out, "And yet we find out that you have been allowing him to see Adelpha behind all our backs for nearly a year now. Even if he wanted it, you should know better. He doesn't understand what she is capable of. He is only a child."
"You and I both know that is not true," Owen replied, returning to his typical coolness, "He is not merely a child. His magic has already grown far beyond that of a typical halfling, beyond even what Lady Titania predicted at his birth. His power will be a force for this world to fear, and it will be wielded by the soul of a mortal with all its capacity for both self-giving love and self-serving corruption. I am tasked with not only protecting the boy, but preparing him for this future."
Only slightly moved by the unnerving nature of what Owen was telling him, Goliath replied, "Is that not what Lord Oberon allowed you to stay for? Did you hope you were getting a pass from the gathering just so you could stay here and help Xanatos play with his robots? Alex needs wise guidance!"
"Indeed, I greatly underestimated the challenge and the importance of the role which Lord Oberon has cast me to play," Owen admitted, "Immortals are not typically given to fearing the future, nor regretting the past. This is the fate that my disobedience, and my meddling with mortals has gained me."
"What do you think Alex wants with Adelpha then?" Goliath asked.
"I cannot say," Owen admitted, "I am not sure that even Alexander knows himself. But by Lord Oberon's law, she belongs to him now, and will serve him if and when he commands it. For now, she lives under his protection. To take possession of a mortal this way is not a privilege that Lord Oberon grants frequently, and never to a halfling, but he sees further than the rest of us and I suspect he knows something more about what is still to come."
"What do you mean? What is coming?" Goliath asked with a slight sense of alarm and Owen gave him an intensely scrutinizing look, as if wondering if Goliath was prepared for what he had to share.
"A new era approaches, Goliath," he said at last, "I can sense it. Lord Oberon senses it as well. I believe that is the reason he has withdrawn his children from the mortal realm. No one can say with certainty what glory or devastation fate has in store for this world, but tides rarely turn peacefully for the residents of the tide pool. What is clear is that Alexander will take a significant place in this new age, and for whatever reason, he has chosen Demona to join him and serve a role there as well."
"But what role, and how would she serve it?" Goliath worried, mostly to himself, "She who has been both angel and demon in this age? She is truly capable of anything!"
"What role indeed," Owen replied ominously, retrieving his box from the desk where he'd placed it and heading out the door toward the hovercraft, "But that question is not one likely to be answered within your lifetime. Still, while I am tasked with preparing young Alex, you might do well to put your effort into preparing Demona. It may prove to be the greatest gift, or the most devastating failure, that you ever leave this world."
"But what can I do for her?" he lamented, "I cannot see what fate has planned for her and I have only a single, mortal life to live. What protection could I give her now that she can carry on into the next age without me? "
"Don't you know?" Owen asked, looking genuinely surprised by the question as he disappeared through the door.
"Don't worry. We're just minutes away," Xanatos reassured Goliath as his hovercraft glided over a rolling canopy of trees.
"What on earth compelled her to flee all the way out here?" Goliath asked with a touch of annoyance.
"Probably so she could see the stars," Xanatos suggested absentmindedly as he toyed with the device he was using to find Demona's GPS signal.
"See the stars?" Goliath repeated.
"Yes. That's what she always said she was doing when she disappeared inexplicably for a long time," he explained, "She needed to get to some place where she could see the stars."
Goliath considered this information for a moment.
"I never thought to ask you how you actually met her," he observed, "Clearly, the original story you spun was not the truth."
Xanatos chuckled as recalled the incident.
"A serendipitous meeting," he explained, "She was not expecting me, and I was certainly not expecting her! I doubt she was the least bit pleased to make my acquaintance, but it was, by far, the most thrilling night I had ever experienced, at least at that point in my life!"
"She told me a little herself," Goliath informed him with a touch of sadness, "How she had meant to kill you once she had retrieved her books, but when she discovered you were only a child, she instead indentured you into a life of lawlessness and depravity, under the threat of death if you failed her."
"Is that what she said?" Xanatos asked with an amused smile.
"Isn't that what happened?" Goliath asked.
"Well, let's just say, that isn't exactly the way I remember it. It's true that once I inadvertently discovered that my employer wasn't human, she felt the need to keep me close at hand. I ran errands for her and fronted for her when she needed to interact with humans. I did mostly mundane tasks to better facilitate her living in peace and privacy. My ventures into "a life of lawlessness and depravity", as you call it, were rarely her idea and more often my own schemes and misadventures gone awry."
Xanatos paused, cringing a little, then smiling as he thought back on his peculiar acquaintance with Demona.
"I may have been just a little too emboldened by having my very own gargoyle as backup. When she couldn't persuade me out of my plots, she often found herself reluctantly traipsing after me to rescue me from whatever peril I had gotten myself into."
Xanatos went quiet for a moment. Goliath waited and watched him as he silently revisited his own memories, guessing correctly that there was more he wished to say.
"I suppose you think I should be pitied," he continued with a hint of disdain, "That I was a poor, naive kid with no mom and a father that wasn't around and couldn't be bothered. That I was used and taken advantage of by a monster who left me unfit for anything but villainy. Well, don't! Demona may not have been vetted and sent by the Big Brothers of America, but given how desperate I was to escape, to gain some power over my own life, to be important to anyone or anything… I really could have done a lot worse for a bad influence. Any unscrupulous crime-boss, drug-dealer, cult-leader, or generally sick degenerate could have grabbed me, used me, and left me dead or in prison. Or worse yet, I could have stayed where I was, trapped forever, rotting away until I just stopped caring and forgot that I had ever dreamed of anything more. I don't regret knowing her. Not for one minute."
"You might have thought you were having a good time, but I suspect you were too young at the time to fully comprehend the danger you were in." Goliath suggested, "She could easily have killed you."
"She threatened to kill me at least a hundred times a night, " he laughed dismissively, "But I was never really afraid. I figured that if she had really meant to kill me, she would have done so. She taught me things and she listened to me. She saw I was housed and fed, once I finally ran away from home. She indulged me in the occasional wild adventure and she looked after me when my brilliant ideas didn't work out as expected. She all but forced me to go to school, even though I made it clear that I'd rather be burned alive. She even followed me here to New York, though she made it clear that she'd rather be burned alive. I knew, despite what she threatened, she didn't really want to kill me. To be honest, I was a little proud that she chose me. I didn't do all the things she commanded, just so that she wouldn't kill me, I did them so that she would keep wanting me around."
Xanatos' eyes fell a little as he spoke.
"And then, all of a sudden, she didn't anymore," Xanatos told Goliath in a nonchalant voice that couldn't quite disguise the confusion and pain in his expression, "She wanted me dead, along with all the rest."
"She betrayed you too," Goliath concluded.
"In retrospect, I really should have seen it coming," Xanatos admitted, "I knew she hated humanity, but I never guessed how far she would go."
A loud ding rang out from the dashboard, disrupting his thoughts, and Xanatos removed the GPS device and handed it to Goliath.
"We're less than three miles away," Xanantos told him, "I suggest you go the rest of the way yourself, in case the sight of the hovercraft inspires her to make things more difficult. I haven't seen any sign of a weapon from the drones, but you never know."
Goliath moved toward the port, then turned back toward Xanantos.
"I was powerless to help her," he observed, "But you gave her another chance. She should learn to show some gratitude, but even if you never hear a word of thanks from her, I wish to give you mine."
Xanatos nodded his acknowledgement, though to Goliath, he seemed to be still lost in thought.
The night had a pleasant, sweet smell to it as Goliath glided over the canopy, in the direction the GPS was leading him. The air was cool and the clear sky did indeed twinkle with starlight. Had he not been so concerned, it would have been the perfect night to linger and enjoy the beauty of the forest. When the device indicated that Demona should be within thirty feet of him, he attempted to land as stealthily as his broad wingspan would allow.
The moment his clawed feet touched the ground, he nearly gasped at the sight before him. All throughout the darkened brush that lay beneath the dense canopy, were thousands and thousands of fireflies, all aglow with their miraculous, complementing rhythms of light. He was so taken by the strange and enchanting beauty of it, that he could have easily missed the flash of red hair leaning against a large tree trunk, on the forest floor. Trepidatiously, he approached her, unsure of how soundly she slept. He contemplated the idea of not waking her at all, but settling quietly beside her so he could watch her all night as she rested peacefully, surrounded by such loveliness. The sound of her soft sigh startled him a bit and he determined it was best to return to the business he'd come for.
"Adelpha, wake up," he beckoned gently, and her face twisted a bit at the sound of his voice, but she did not open her eyes.
"Do you hear me?" he asked a bit louder, "Adelpha?"
"I hear," she whispered softly.
"Then why don't you open your eyes and look at me?" he asked in a somewhat bemused voice.
"If I do open them, you'll have left me," she replied.
"Open them," he implored gently, "I am not going anywhere."
Slowly, she obeyed, and her dark eyes looked upon him with a longing he had not expected. With uncertainty, she stretched her claw toward him and touched his face. He caught it and pressed it against his own cheek affectionately.
"How warm you are on this cool evening," he remarked tenderly and she withdrew her claw apprehensively.
"You really are here!" she exclaimed in disbelief.
"Of course," he replied gently, "I came to collect you and take you home."
"Could you not let me return in my own good time?" she murmured in frustration as she inched further away from him.
"No, I most certainly could not," he replied, "I have been worrying about you. The whole clan has."
"There's no need," she replied anxiously, "I meant to return eventually. I want to be with my daughter and I don't wish to abandon my charges. I just… need some time."
"We can give you the time and space you need at home," Goliath insisted firmly, placing his claws on her shoulders as if to guide her.
"Please, don't!" she replied, pulling away from him.
"What is it?" he asked apprehensively as the summer breeze gently stirred the leaves of the forest around them. Her scent washed over him; a sweetness like spiced honey.
"Oh, she smells like heaven!" he thought to himself as a thousand beautiful memories seemed to overwhelm his mind. His claws squeezed closed, still remembering the warm touch of her shoulders.
"Oh," he sighed, slowly coming to a realization, "Oh, I see…Now, I understand…"
She looked away from him, as if embarrassed, though she had done no wrong.
"I wish to stay here until it passes," she told him, "And then I'll return."
"You told me that your fertility had never returned to you before," he recalled, "What has changed?"
With an air of frustration, she explained, "I believe this is a young halfling's naive notion of a gift, though what purpose he thought it could serve, I can't imagine."
Understanding, Goliath backed away from her slightly and gazed at the lovely woods around them.
"It's a beautiful place you've chosen," he commented.
"I first came to this forest, years ago," she replied, "My grief and all the guilt I could not stand to face…and Xanatos' endless, overbearing scheming…I needed to escape it all. It was so lovely and peaceful. For a moment, the humans were gone as if they never had been. I was able to forget all the pain of the world and all my rage and grief. I could never allow myself to linger long, but I would return from time to time because it was a place where I could dream undistracted. It was the place I came to be with you, at least in my heart, and hear your voice in my head. I always hoped that one night you would join me here in reality. But since the night you reawakened, I haven't felt any desire to return alone."
"You hear my voice in your head when you come here?" he asked incredulously.
"I always hear your voice in my head," she confessed, "But here it is gentle and forgiving, free of repulsion, sadness, and pity. It is just as I remember."
"I am here with you now," Goliath reassured her as he felt the deepest of longings aching in his own heart, "Let us stay a while, if that is what you wish."
Demona sighed.
"Thank you for the offer," she replied genuinely as she rose, reluctant but resigned to leave with him, "But I see no point in making this harder on ourselves than it needs to be."
Goliath rose as well, seizing her arms in his claws and drawing her close to him.
"I do not believe that being without you could get any harder than it is already," he confessed in a deep whisper. Then, to her great surprise, he kissed her.
For a moment, she panicked, for it was unthinkable to her that what was happening could be anything but a pleasurable dream that would only mock her once she awakened. But the warm trickle of his tears that she felt against her face, neck, and shoulder as he whispered his love to her were a promise of truth that she could not deny. Despite any faults with which she could charge him, she knew her mate was not a liar, and his words compelled her to abandon any sense of restraint.
As they kissed, he pulled her into his embrace and she tightened her own arms around his neck until she felt her feet lifted from the forest floor. Desire inflamed them both, but it was more than that. They embraced in desperation, as if to heal the wounds inflicted by the cruel severing of two souls that were once joined as one.
Several waves of passion passed, and they lay, restfully caressing one another among the dried leaves and soft pine needles, before she was finally able to utter her own promise of love to him, and dare to hope he would believe her.
"If Alexander was correct," she told him, "Then the spell Puck placed on me would be passed on to any children I bear."
"Oh?" he replied, looking as if the idea gave him some reservations.
"Would that please you?" she asked hopefully, "If I gave you a half-human child that you might raise with this woman you love so much?"
"Our children belong to the whole clan," Goliath reminded her, deflecting the question, "You know that."
"A young one that lives much of their life as a human requires a human parent," she replied, "Do they not?"
Goliath studied her face quizzically as he stroked her hair.
"You would offer such a selfless gift?" Goliath asked in astonishment, "For someone you have considered a mortal enemy from the moment you first heard of her?"
"Not for her, you fool!" she laughed, "For you! Don't you understand? Your love is the greatest happiness I have ever known! But every time I think of that happiness, I have to remember what you told me on Avalon; That you suffered so much that you asked the Magus for death! And I have to live with the truth that I caused you that pain. What else could I do that might give you another chance at happiness?"
"Oh, my Angel," Goliath whispered, kissing her gently.
"I am no angel and I never will be. And perhaps what I offer is not a gift, so much as a compromise."
"A compromise?" Goliath asked, "What do you mean?"
"A gargoyle who doesn't turn to stone need not fear the dawn," she explained, "And a clan that is protected by their own warriors by day has no need to form allegiances with humans…unless they truly want it."
Goliath grew quiet at this unnerving proposal. Secretly, he wondered if she was correct. Was it a mere survival instinct that so strongly compelled him to serve and protect the humans on his island, or was it more than that?
"You're wrong," he concluded at last, "To protect is in our nature. We could not be whole without it."
"Then you and the others must be my protectorate, for I cannot and will not ever serve these creatures," she vowed.
"If you will offer enough forgiveness that you can leave them in peace, that is enough," he told her, "Then for your part, you can live for those you love."
Looking into his wise and gentle eyes, she promised, "So I will. Always."
The peaceful night passed over them as they rested contently in one another's arms, a growing, intense desire within them. But for an extended moment of quiet gratitude, they watched the burning stars and firefly light, until they could deny themselves no longer.