Brooklyn and Adelpha found Alexander in the rookery, playing on the training equipment in his gargoyle form. Alexander was becoming quite adept at shapeshifting. His teacher, Puck, had explained to him that Oberon's pureborn children were not bound to any physical form. But as a halfling, Alexander had the physical body of a human child that had been given to him by his parents. This was his natural form and the one in which he was most comfortable.
But as a young child, he had almost instinctively learned to reform himself into the image of a glowing, pearly-skinned boy with light hair, wide pointed ears, and an overall aura that both mortals and magicks found alluring whenever he allowed them to see it. Alexander thought of this as his 'fairy form', and he preferred it when he was practicing or studying magic. It made him feel powerful and mysterious, but he didn't like others to see it. In fact, his parents had only seen it on rare occasions and most of the gargoyle clan had never seen it. It wasn't a significant secret. Everyone in his family and the clan already knew he was a halfling and had magical abilities. But it was something he could guard and keep to himself and he liked it that way. Only Puck saw him in his fairy form regularly, and Adelpha, who was the first mortal he'd ever shown it to.
Under the tutelage of Puck, he had quickly learned to change and enchant parts of his own mortal form. He had easily progressed to imitating the appearance of other humans. This was simple enough magic for most halflings. But Alexander Xanatos had great ambition and from a very young age, he had set his heart on changing his form entirely into that of another creature. Specifically, a gargoyle. As he had grown up surrounded by gargoyles, his teacher had assured him that this would be no great difficulty for him. It was easy enough to imitate the features, and even the entire form of any of his mortal familiars, human or gargoyle. But this was not enough for Alexander. He wished to create his own gargoyle form, the way Puck had done with Owen.
He wished this for three main reasons. First of all, gargoyles never had to wear socks and shoes, which was something he greatly appreciated. Second, they could glide, and changing into a gargoyle meant that he too could glide about the city with Lexington and the others, seeing the beauty of the city from above and enjoying the sensation of the wind on his skin. But third, and most importantly, changing into a gargoyle would make him more like one of the clan.
Although he loved his parents, and he was grateful for much of the privileged life they had provided him, it did come with regrettable social restrictions. For the most part, the gargoyles who inhabited his castle served as both his friends and his family. He regarded the clan's two hatchlings as his own siblings. The various warriors were like his uncles and aunts. Playful, nurturing, encouraging, affectionate, and at times, even strict, he loved them as if they were his own family. Goliath, he regarded as a grandfather, wise and compassionate. And Adelpha?
Somehow, he didn't know the word to explain the bond between them. They were friends, but more than what that word usually meant. Puck ritually reminded him that because he had bought her from the Weird Sisters, she was forever his indentured servant, and ought to be kept in her place. But Alexander could never see her that way. Whatever she was to him, she was his. He was very fond of her, but he was not oblivious to her hatred of humanity. He also knew that he was quickly growing into a man, and it was one of his darkest fears that one day she would no longer see him as a playful and affectionate child, but a threat to be feared and loathed. If he were able to master his own gargoyle form, perhaps she would always accept him as one of her own kind, and part of her clan.
At least, that was what the boy hoped. He had spent at least some of each night, holding this form, until it had become nearly as natural to him as his fairy form. Most nights, he played with the hatchlings in their rookery, building his balance and strength, and imitating their movements and mannerisms so he could pass for a real gargoyle. And when they allowed it, he would take gliding lessons with Lexington. He had become so adept at this form that more than once, he'd let time get away from him and found himself turning to stone at daybreak. Owen then had to come and rescue him so he wouldn't be late for his tutor.
Now he balanced on a taught, woven strap that stretched about 20 yards from one tree to another, trying to make his way across without falling to the floor below. Even as he maintained his focus, his enhanced gargoyle ears heard the whispers of Brooklyn and Adelpha from where they watched him.
"Do you really think it's a good idea to involve Alex in this?" Brooklyn asked skeptically.
"I do," she replied.
"What can he do to help?"
"What can he not do?" she asked with a sly smile.
"You guys are distracting me!" Alexander complained in a strained voice as he wobbled erratically on the shaking band.
"I'm thinking he can't get across that tight rope," Brooklyn challenged and Alexander snorted in response, his arms and tail flailing wildly as he tried to regain his balance.
"Nonsense!" Adelpha scoffed while maintaining a vexing smile, "He'll manage it some way or other. He always does whatever he sets out to do."
"Th-that's r-ight!" the boy stuttered in frustration as the strap bounced and shifted wildly under his weight. Brooklyn crept forward and stood under the tightrope, examining Alexander's awkward situation while grinning back at Adelpha tauntingly.
"No way! See, his strength's already wearing down." he concluded and Alexander grunted in response, his face growing more determined.
"What do you know?" she replied, watching the boy confidently, "That child has strength you cannot see."
"Care to make a friendly bet?" Brooklyn suggested.
Adelpha laughed at this.
"Very well," she agreed, and to Alexander she urged, "Go on! I just made you my champion. This is serious now!"
Giving them a defiant look, he steadied himself and took two frantic steps before losing his balance again. He lowered himself and caught the strap in his claws hanging by all fours as it swayed to and fro. Brooklyn laughed.
"I told you!" he teased.
"He hasn't fallen yet!" she replied sourly, giving Brooklyn a light shove for his arrogance, "Get up, Alexander!"
For what seemed like an eternity, Alexander struggled to pull himself back to a standing position, to no avail. Then, he began to inch along the strap, hanging upside down.
"He looks like a sloth!" Brooklyn gloated, "And this is taking forever. Didn't we have something important to do?" Adelpha frowned, but wasn't about to let her young friend give up. Exasperated by their stubbornness, Brooklyn got an idea. He picked up one of several red, rubber kickballs that were laying in and around a tall hamper.
"This ought to move things along, either way!" he grinned, and chucked the ball at Alexander, causing him and the strap to swing back and forth.
"Hey! That's cheating!" Alexander complained as a second ball smacked him in the tail. Brooklyn chuckled and sent a third ball, but it froze in midair, emitting a strange glow. Brooklyn paused, holding the next ball over his head, while staring at the quivering, gravity defying ball. Suddenly, with double the force Brooklyn had thrown it, the ball shot back at him, smacking him in the face with a resonant 'thud!' The ball bounced off him, then attacked again relentlessly, smacking him all over his head and body.
"Hey!" Brooklyn yelled as a second and third ball joined the party, bombarding him with the fiercest blows orbs of swollen rubber could provide. Meanwhile, Adelpha laughed hysterically and cheered her young champion as he quickly transformed into a fox and scampered across the strap. He expertly made it to the other side and changed back into his gargoyle form before jumping down from the opposite tree, into her outstretched arms.
"Ta dah!" he announced as she set him on the floor.
"Alright, already. Ooof!" Brooklyn conceded awkwardly under his kickball onslaught, "You win! Now call this off!"
Alexander gestured and all the balls returned to the natural order of gravity with a unison smack! on the floor and a chorus of bounces.
"Clever boy!" Adelpha praised him with a great deal of laughter still in her voice.
"Little cheat is more like it!" Brooklyn half grumbled and half chuckled.
Adelpha shook her head, still laughing.
"I believe it was you that introduced that dissonant chord to the song," she pointed out, giving one of the balls a good swat with her tail and watching it bounce chaotically around the playroom.
"He was supposed to do it as a gargoyle!" he protested, still feigning outrage, "Anyone could do it as a fox!"
"All right then," Adelpha replied, haughtily, "Let's see you do it as a fox!"
"Ha!" Alexander laughed, "Burn!"
Brooklyn shot him a genuine glare before his face melted into a reluctant smile.
"I still say I won that bet," he decreed.
"Oh, Brooklyn!" Adelpha interrupted sweetly, "Heads up!"
Brooklyn glanced up above his head. He'd been so busy grumbling about the unfair loss of his bet that he hadn't noticed a single remaining kickball floating over his head. As he had been making his case, the ball had swollen to twice its normal size, and now the surface of it wiggled and waved as if it were made of jello.
"What the heck is that?" he asked in surprise.
Then, with a loud pop, the ball burst open, dousing him with ice cold water.
"Augh!" he cried in both surprise and dismay while the other two laughed at his expense.
"All right, that's enough," Adelpha told Alexander as she chuckled, "If I let you go on tormenting my dear brother, I'll be tempted to forgive him for locking me up with a psychopath this morning. Go on, and shake claws."
The magical liquid had already disappeared from Brooklyn and the floor around him, but he was still glaring daggers at Adelpha. Alexander crept backward a little, trying to hide himself under her caped wing.
"Oh, no you don't!" she scolded lightly, lifting him from under his arms and setting him on the floor before Brooklyn, "If you are going to be my champion, you have to stand tall and hold your head up when you face your opponent."
With a sheepish expression, Alexander extended his claw toward the much larger and somewhat cross looking gargoyle. Brooklyn shook it while Adelpha crossed her arms and gave him another teasing look. Brooklyn chuckled to himself.
"You're going to pay for this on Tuesday," he told Adelpha matter-of-factly.
"We're still cool though, right?" Alexander asked hesitantly and Brooklyn gave him an affectionate pat on the shoulder.
"Little Bro, we are so cool, that I am about to let you help us with something very important," Brooklyn told him.
"Really?" Alexander replied with piqued interest, "What?"
"An interrogation," Adelpha explained and Alexander grinned with renewed confidence.
"I'm awesome at those!" he declared.
"Indeed you are," Adelpha agreed, "And that's why we need your help."
The two gargoyles led their friend to the elevator and Brooklyn used the correct codes to release Adelpha from her implants so they could go to the holding cell where the rogue was being kept. Understandably, the strange female was very agitated to see them after having awakened alone and captive in a strange place. Foolishly, she seized the bars of the cell, which rewarded her with a powerful electric shock. The rogue screamed with rage and Alexander shuddered a little and the piercing sound of her voice and the wildness in her eyes.
"What's wrong with her?" he asked timidly.
"That's one of the things we are trying to find out," Brooklyn explained.
"Go and talk to her," Adelpha urged, "Tell her we mean her no harm."
"How can he?" Brooklyn asked, "We don't even know what language she speaks, if she speaks any language at all."
Adelpha rolled her eyes.
"Of course she speaks!" she replied, "And even if she didn't understand any more language than a dog, Alexander could still make her understand. I once saw him have a full conversation with a capercaillie!"
Brooklyn gave her incredulous look.
"What does a capercaillie even have to talk about?" he demanded.
"They were talking about how to make shoes," she explained cryptically, "Now go ahead, Alexander. Tell her we want to help her. Ask her why she came here."
Calmly, Alexander approached the gate of the cell, and the rogue backed away suspiciously.
"Hello, Friend," he began, "Don't be afraid. We don't want to hurt you."
The rogue was clearly surprised by the youth, and replied in a language that Brooklyn couldn't identify. Alexander turned to look at them over his shoulder.
"Those are my friends, Brooklyn and Adelpha," he explained to her, and she looked up at them with some understanding, "They don't want to keep you locked up, but you have to stop fighting them."
The rogue spoke again, her tone sounding bitter and aggressive. Alex turned to them.
"She thinks you captured her so you can turn her over to Beloved Mother," Alexander explained, "She says she wishes you would kill her instead."
Brooklyn became visibly upset at this.
"Tell her that we just met Beloved Mother, and we didn't know that they were looking for her."
Alexander repeated this to the furious prisoner and she snarled in response, spitting strange words with a contemptuous glare in her eyes.
Alexander looked back at them awkwardly.
"I don't think I'm allowed to repeat exactly what she said," he explained sheepishly, "But, basically, she doesn't believe you."
"So, I gathered," Brooklyn replied grimly, "Well, this is progressing nicely."
"Alexander, come here," Adelpha summoned, drawing the three of them closer together, "I suspect that this interrogation may delve further into conversation unsuitable for innocent ears."
"My ears aren't that innocent!" Alexander cried defensively but Adelpha ignored his protest.
"Is there a way that one of us could speak with her ourselves?" she asked him, and his eyes opened wide.
"Of course!" he replied, "I could do a charm for you…but you'd have to be touching her in order for me to do it."
"Have fun with that," Brooklyn told her sarcastically and she raised a brow at him.
"Oh no, my friend," she retorted, "Not I. You. This one is going to be up to you."
"Me? You're the sorceress here!" he protested and Adelpha shook her head frustrated.
"First of all, I've given up sorcery," she informed him, "Secondly, Alexander's powers are pure magic, not sorcery. There's a difference. And most importantly, I am obliged to bow out of this now. I have to prove to my mate that I trust him. So, as second-in-command, it falls on you to make certain that he doesn't do anything too foolish."
"I didn't realize that was part of the job," Brooklyn replied.
"It's the most important part of the job!" Adelpha explained emphatically, "But Brooklyn, that is why he has given it to you! You have his confidence and for good reason. He trusts your judgment. He knows how much you look up to him and he knows that if you are willing to risk being at odds with him over something, it's no small matter. If you tell him that something doesn't seem right, he will believe you."
"Wow!" Brooklyn replied, "After all that flattery, I almost have to forgive being soaked with ice water and beaten with playground balls!"
"I speak the truth, brother," she insisted, "This falls to you. You need to find out why this aggressive stranger saw fit to come here and why she is running from this new clan Goliath has discovered. Most importantly, you need to find out why this Beloved Mother came here and what she really wants of us."
"All right," Brooklyn replied slowly, and to Alexander he said, "Tell her that we will open the gate and not to fight us."
Alexander repeated the message and the rogue looked at Brooklyn quizzically as he went to the control panel and punched in the codes to disengage the electrified bars and open the security gate. Slowly, the gate opened and Brooklyn entered slowly with his claws open. The rogue backed away apprehensively.
"Tell her that I'm not going to harm her," Brooklyn ordered and Alexander attempted to convince the increasingly agitated prisoner, as Brooklyn advanced on here.
"How long will this charm take?" Brooklyn asked doubtfully.
"Oh, not long," Alexander assured him, "Just a minute."
"Good. Because I'm thinking that I'm going to have to use the bandaid method," Brooklyn explained as he tried his best to nonchalantly creep up on the already suspicious female.
"It's okay!" Alexander insisted as Brooklyn reached for the rogue's arms, "He won't hurt you!"
"Now, Alex!" Brooklyn hissed as he firmly took hold of her. Alexander began the incantation for the charm, while Brooklyn's captive began to thrash violently around to get him off of her.
"As alien tongues doth befuddle,
And leave them lost in a foggy muddle,
So that these distant souls may bind,
Let ear and voice be heart and mind!"
A flash of light blinded Brooklyn's eyes, and for a moment, all was silent, as if he'd lost all his senses entirely. Then he opened his eyes just in time to face the enraged stranger pouncing upon him. As he struggled with her, he heard her voice, no longer uttering the strange syllables of her own language, but speaking clear English as she loaded him with every insult and verbal abuse he could imagine.
"Is it working?" Alexander called to him.
"I'll say it is!" Brooklyn replied through gritted teeth.
"Well done, Alexander," Adelpha praised, "Come, let us leave Brooklyn to talk with his new friend."
"Thank you, Adelpha!" he called sarcastically.
"You're welcome, dear brother," she retorted just as snidely, "Have no fear! You're equal to this task!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he grumbled as he pried the stranger's claw off his face.
It took a while for Brooklyn to wrestle his livid opponent into a pinned position on the floor, during which he developed a bit of respect for her skills as a warrior.
"Will you stop fighting me?" he scolded, "Listen! You showed up here, raging like a lunatic. What do you expect us to do? I'm not trying to hurt you and I don't want to lock you up forever, but I need you to cooperate with me!" The female stopped trying to strike at the sound of his voice, clearly confused by her sudden ability to understand him. Her lithe body trembled with rage as she glared at him.
"Cooperation is what has cost me everything I love," she hissed, her lovely dark eyes brimming with tears of anger and pain.
"Let me at least try to help you," Brooklyn pleaded.
"No," she replied bitterly, "No one can help me."
"Are you sure?" he asked her with a weak smile, "Helping people is kinda our thing. We are gargoyles, after all!"
For a long moment, she only glared at him suspiciously, but he noted that she seemed to be considering him. Her chest rose and fell rapidly with heavy breathing after several minutes of battling him.
"If you really want to help me, you'll let me go," she proposed, "There's something I must do and your keeping me here could cause…"
She paused, lowering her eyes suspiciously. Brooklyn noticed the expressiveness of her dark eyes, framed by her mask of magenta, against the darkness of the rest of her skin. Her dark curls cascaded around her two, elegant horns, both of which were a swirl of magenta, dark gray, and silver.
"You want to leave already?" he asked in as light a tone as he could, "You just got here! And no one made you come, did they. You came here for a reason. What is it?"
Her eyes remained downcast and her voice silent.
"What were you looking for?" he asked her again, "Who were you looking for? Tell me what you need to do and maybe I can help? Maybe my clan can help?"
Still, she remained silent, but Brooklyn was certain that her calculating gaze meant she was considering how much she could trust him.
"Why don't we start with a proper introduction?" he suggested, "My name is Brooklyn. This castle is the home of my clan, and this city is our protectorate. Our leader is called 'Goliath', and I am his second. What can I call you?"
The rogue seemed to wince at the question.
"Nothing," she spat bitterly, "I have no name and no clan. I am alone."
"But you aren't alone," Brooklyn assured her gently, "I'm here."
The rogue drew her breath sharply, her eyes widening with feeling as she gazed at him.
"We're gonna have to call you something," he prodded and she sighed.
"Very well," she replied finally, "Call me Sorrow."