Demona held Brooklyn until the sun rose. There were a few times when she thought she would lose him. He didn't want to keep fighting, but she was able to pull him back from the edge. She wasn't in the habit of encouraging hope, but when one lived for a millennia they learned when to let go of their pride, and when to cling to it like it was the only thing they had.
She held Brooklyn and gave him reassurances that she didn't fully believe herself. She told him that Goliath didn't give his trust easily. He thought that Brooklyn was strong enough to be the leader of their clan. He needed to prove that the trust wasn't misplaced. He needed to fight through the night and return to his brothers. When she was at her most desperate she even told Brooklyn of a scheme that she'd been putting together. If he wanted to stop her, he needed to return to his clan and tell them.
If Brooklyn wasn't going to fight for himself, she needed to make sure he fought for those he cared about.
After what felt like an eternity the sun rose, and Brooklyn slipped into his stone sleep while Demona shifted into a human. She finally felt like she could breathe. He'd been weak and close to giving up again just before sunrise, but he had still been alive. When the sun set again he would wake up and probably feel no lingering weakness or pain from the torture he'd been through.
There was no saving his claws and wings, and looking at his stone form Demona could guess that he would have more than a few lingering scars, but ultimately he would be okay.
Brooklyn had done the hard job of just staying alive. Now it was Demona's turn to do her part. She slowly stepped away from Brooklyn, subtly picking up the needle that Matthew had dropped.
He hadn't left the room all night. He'd stood to the side, gun aimed at the two of them, waiting for anything that remotely resembled an attack. Demona had ignored him all night. Turning to look at him now he still looked frustratingly smug.
"Are you proud of yourself?" Demona growled. He'd reduced Brooklyn to a whimpering child.
"I am." Matthew said. "I admit, I had my doubts that bringing him here would be worth it, but it went just as I'd hoped. You both can deny it all you want, but you care for him, and you'll do what is necessary to keep him safe." Matthew stepped toward her. "Which means that I now have a way to tame my perfect pet."
Demona forced herself to remain still as Matthew came up to her and brushed her hair out of her face in a gesture of mock intimacy. She refrained from snarling and slapping his hand away. Let him think he had her under her thumb. If he thought he was in control, he would let his guard down.
Demona was still for as long as she could stand it, and then she took the needle and plunged it as deeply into his neck as she could. He screamed in alarm and tried to pull back. She quickly injected the poison into him, finding gratification in the way that he stiffened and screamed harshly as he was immediately affected.
This stuff had been strong for Brooklyn, and gargoyles were sturdier and tougher than humans were. Any poison strong enough to nearly kill a gargoyle would bring the strongest of humans to their knees in a matter of seconds.
Matthew couldn't even fight her. He just fell to the ground and started writhing and screaming in agony. Demona gave him a disgusted look. He was worth less than the dirt beneath her feet, and now he wasn't going to be a problem.
She moved back to Brooklyn. She was going to take him home, but there were a few things she needed to take care of first. For one, those wings had to go. As much as Demona was loath to admit it, the majority of his wings were just dead weight. They were dragging him down, and Brooklyn wouldn't be able to move easily with them like this. She didn't want to take his wings from him, but it really was for the best.
In Matthew's bag she found a hammer and chisel. She used them to chip away at the bit of his wings that were still connected, finishing the job that Matthew had been too cruel and cowardly to do. It took time and care, and every hit made Demona feel like a monster, but she knew this was necessary. Eventually the wing crashed to the floor, and she moved on to the other one.
Soon Brooklyn's stone form was left with just the stubs of his wings. It would probably break his heart, and she wouldn't blame him if he hated her for what she had to do, but she was going to make it up to him. She had a plan.
Matthew had stopped moving by now and she didn't think he was breathing, but she wasn't going to take any chances. She dragged Matthew's body to where her makeshift cell had been, pulling the lever to activate the bars. She didn't care at all that his feet got caught by the lasers. Even if he was still alive, he was trapped and wouldn't have the chance to hurt Brooklyn anymore.
With Matthew taken care of Demona left the room and rushed upstairs. She found a phone and called a familiar number. She really didn't trust humans, and she certainly didn't trust this man as far as she could throw him, but he could be useful, and that was more important than anything else right now.
"Hello?" The familiar voice spoke, making her seethe.
"Xanatos." Demona growled. She didn't want to reveal to him that she had a human form during the day, but she suspected that he already knew. Xanatos seemed to know everything about anybody that interested him. And if he didn't know through his own research, he would have been told by the cursed fae that was responsible for this in the first place.
"Oh, Demona." Xanatos sounded completely in control. "Fancy hearing from you at this hour."
She never had the patience for him, and especially not now. "I'm ready to cash in that favor you owe me." She didn't like working with humans, but when Xanatos had asked for her assistance for something that she thought might be a little amusing, and in return he would owe her a favor of her choosing, no questions asked, just as long as it didn't hurt him, his business, or his family. She couldn't use the favor to tear him down, as much as she might want to.
Demona had never intended to use this favor. Having Xanatos owe him gave her a lot of power, and cashing in that favor meant releasing that power. And she knew that he would find a lot of amusement in whatever plan she might come up with. She didn't want to be his source of entertainment.
But circumstances had changed. Her pride was the reason why Brooklyn had lost his wings. She wasn't going to let it be the reason why he didn't get them back.
"You have my attention." Xanatos said, as though he hadn't been paying full attention from the second he had heard her voice. "What do you want?"
"Prosthetic wings." Demona said. "As well as claws. I don't want them to be able to be controlled by you in any way. They need to work like any other limb."
Xanatos was quiet for a moment. "I know our agreement was no questions asked, but I'm curious about why you're asking for this? I thought you said my creations were crude mockeries."
It was true. Demona was not a fan of Xanatos' robotic monstrosities that he modeled after gargoyles. But at least his expertise would make him uniquely qualified to do this for her.
"They are, but I don't have much of a choice." Demona hated to admit as much, but she knew that Xanatos would be more likely to agree if she stroked his ego a bit. As much as she didn't like it, they were similar in that way.
Xanatos gave a little hum, sounding pleased with himself. "What are the exact measurements you'll be needing? If you want them to work right, they'll need to be precise."
"I'm sure you already have Brooklyn's exact measurements." Demona said.
"Brooklyn?" For the first time during this conversation Xanatos sounded genuinely surprised and a little unnerved. "You know, Goliath has asked me about a dozen times in the past week if I've seen his second. I'm guessing you were responsible for his sudden disappearance."
Demona growled. "No, I wasn't. Some arrogant human got it into his head that he could tame me like a pet, and Brooklyn got dragged into it."
"Why does he need prosthetics?" Xanatos asked. Demona had thought the answer was obvious.
"Why do you think?" Demona snapped.
"Alright, alright, I'll see what I can do." Xanatos said. "Have you dealt with the problem?"
"He's dead." Demona said. "I'll be getting Brooklyn out of here as soon as the sun sets."
"If I may, where are you?" Xanatos asked.
"In an estate a few miles away from Manhattan." Demona said. Xanatos let out a dry laugh.
"Well, that explains why Goliath hasn't been able to find him." Xanatos said. "This past week they've looked in every corner of Manhattan. They always forget the world is bigger than New York City." Of course they did. Gargoyles were territorial creatures. If something wasn't in their territory, it wasn't worth thinking about.
"I have one more thing to ask." Demona said. "For obvious reasons, Brooklyn can't glide by himself. I can get him out of here, but Goliath won't let me anywhere near the clan. If he knows that I was involved at all, he'll interrogate Brooklyn, and that's not what he needs right now." Brooklyn had only gotten into this mess because he'd gone off on his own, probably because he was overwhelmed by Goliath being overbearing. He needed to recover, not to feel like running away again.
"No, I agree." Xanatos said. "Goliath has asked me to keep an eye out for our young friend. He won't question it if I happen to know where he can find Brooklyn." Xanatos was sounding pleased with himself. "Technically, this is another favor, but I'll give it to you, no strings attached, because it will mean that Goliath will owe me one."
"And you won't tell Goliath of my involvement with the prosthetics?" Demona asked, just to clarify.
"Of course not." Xanatos laughed. "For all he'll know, this will be a gesture of my good will. And it will be yet another favor that he owes me." This was why Demona hated and respected Xanatos. He could take any situation and turn it in his favor.
They spoke for a few more minutes, arranging the details of where Demona would take Brooklyn, and when Xanatos should tell Goliath the news. As much as Demona didn't like Xanatos, she was in her element. Making deals, going behind someone's back, it came naturally to her. Though it felt a little nice to be doing it for someone else's sake rather than just her own survival.
Not that she would make a habit of it.
"Let me know if something changes." Xanatos said. "Goliath is starting to get annoying." Demona could only imagine. He'd always been very protective. It was what she had loved about him, and what drove her insane.
"Just do what I asked." Demona said. She was tired of talking to Xanatos at this point. She hung up and went back downstairs. She was relieved to find Brooklyn where she had left him, and Matthew hadn't moved. If he wasn't dead, he would be sooner or later, and good riddance for that.
Demona sat down next to Brooklyn. Now that she had a moment to breathe she felt absolutely exhausted. She didn't need much sleep, but she hadn't been letting herself sleep lately. It wasn't something she could afford to do. Now that things had calmed down and there was nothing she could do now but wait for the sun to set, she could finally sleep.
She had just meant to rest her eyes for a few minutes. She woke when she felt a sudden pain throughout her entire body. For a moment she was terrified that Matthew was alive and responsible for it. It took her a long time to realize that she had just shifted back to her gargoyle form. The sun had set, and Brooklyn was awake.
Brooklyn stretched, rolling his shoulders. He looked refreshed after a restful sleep, and he was no longer carrying the pain that he'd been tormented with last night.
"How do you feel?" Demona asked.
"Like last night was just a really bad dream." Brooklyn said. "I'm a little sore, but I'll take it." He stretched out his back, his eyes widened with shock and slight horror. He looked over his shoulder, moving the stubs of his wings.
"They…they're gone." Brooklyn sounded like he was about to faint. Demona could only imagine how he felt. She prayed to their ancestors that he didn't look at the ground behind him. He didn't need to see his wings. It would do him no good now.
"That doesn't matter." Demona said. She grabbed Brooklyn's arm, pulling him out of the basement. "What's important is that Matthew is gone, and we can leave."
Brooklyn numbly followed behind her, too stunned and possibly tired to try to fight. "Gone? What do you mean-?"
"I injected him with the poison that he was torturing you with yesterday." Demona said. "He's dead." Brooklyn was quiet for a moment. When she turned to look at him there was a dark look in his eyes that she wasn't used to seeing from anybody other than herself.
"Good." Brooklyn said. Demona wanted to feel pleased that he was finally seeing things her way, but she just felt sad. She hadn't really wanted him to fall as far as she had.
Brooklyn didn't fight her as she brought him to the highest floor of the house. She would rather go to the roof, but it would be a little difficult with Brooklyn's talons in the state they were. They would have to just get as high as they could.
She found a balcony on the third floor. She stepped out into the night air, and Brooklyn finally faltered as he followed her. He stared in disbelief into the night. He looked like he could almost start crying. She hoped he didn't.
"We're actually out." Brooklyn said to himself. "I-I can go home."
"Your clan is looking for you." Demona said, and this time Brooklyn looked like he believed her.
They could see Manhattan from here. It really wasn't that far, but Brooklyn looked at the city with hopeless longing in his gaze.
"I never realized how far a distance could be without gliding." Brooklyn said to himself. "How am I supposed to get back?"
Demona rolled her eyes. She thought the answer was obvious. She climbed onto the balcony railings, pulling him to do the same. "We'll glide."
Brooklyn's eyes widened as she wrapped her arms around him. He instinctively clutched at her as much as he could to keep himself from falling. "I can't!"
"Perhaps not now." She said. She would see him glide again someday. Until then, she would do what she had done when they were younger.
"You'll glide on your own someday." Demona said. "Until you do, I will be your wings." She spread her wings and leaned forward. Brooklyn yelped and clung to her as the wind caught her wings and she began to glide back to the city.
She watched as the young ones glided around each other, playing and showing off. Almost everybody was accounted for, but there was one lad missing that she only noticed because she kept an eye out for him. He looked content to not be part of the fun, but she knew better. No gargoyles were satisfied to be grounded. Even gargoyle beasts enjoyed being in their air when the clan decided to take them for a glide.
The lad was good at hiding that he was feeling left out, but she knew the truth, and she would know it even if his brothers hadn't told her directly.
She knew he could glide on his own, he just needed a push into the air. She came down from her perch, landing on the ground right next to him. He smiled when he saw her.
"Come with me." She said. She didn't give him the chance to ask why. She started walking away, trusting that he would follow. He nearly ran to keep up with her. She led him to the top of the castle, overlooking the land around them.
"Do you want to glide?" She said. She saw him flinch out of the corner of his eyes.
"I can glide." He said defensively.
"But not well." She said. He wrapped his wings defensively around his shoulders. She wasn't trying to scold him. She just wanted him to admit that he needed help. His pride wasn't worth never properly gliding. "I can show you."
"How?" He asked. She turned so her back was to him, gesturing for the smaller gargoyle to get on. He did so. It was awkward, but he held on tight and she held him in place. She spread her wings out, mindful of just where he was on her body.
"Do you trust me?" She asked.
"...Yes." He said after just a moment of hesitation. He squeaked when she jumped onto the ledge and leapt into the air, letting the wind catch her wings. She could feel his own wings flapping awkwardly and out of control as she glided and he rode along.
"Spread your wings." She said. "Feel the wind in your wings. Don't fight it. The wind isn't your enemy. It's your greatest ally. Use it."
She glided around. Gradually his grip on her loosened as he felt more and more at ease in the sky. When he was relaxed she told him to watch the positioning of her wings and mimic them with his own. It was a little tough to glide smoothly with the additional resistance, but she enjoyed the challenge.
They glided for a long time, and she thought he was ready for a change. She pulled her wings back, gliding smoothly through the air, going much slower than before.
"The most important thing about hiding is confidence." She said. "If you're scared you're going to fall, you're going to fall. Your wings are a part of you. If you trust yourself, you won't fail. So, I want you to try to glide on your own."
"What?!" He tightened his grip on her.
"What did I say about being scared?" She reached up and forced him to loosen his grip. "Just spread your wings, let the wind catch them, and let go. If you start to fall I'll be right here to catch you, but you'll never glide if you never try."
She could feel him shaking. He was scared, but she believed she was more afraid of never flying than he was of falling. She gave him a minute to gather himself. Eventually he took a deep breath and slowly loosened his grip. He muttered a reassurance to himself and suddenly let go all at once.
She felt him lift off her back as his wings caught the wind. She flipped over and looked up at him to see him above her, gliding. His arms and legs were twisting wildly as he tried to clutch at something that wasn't there, but his wings were calm, adjusting slightly to account for the subtle changes in the wind.
He was gliding, and Brooklyn looked as proud of himself as she was of him. "I'm doing it!" He said excitedly. "I-I'm gliding!"
"Well done." She said with a smile. She adjusted her wings, catching the wind and gliding up to be at his level. She took his hands. "You're a fast learner."
He gave her a sheepish smile that was just shy of being a grimace. "I was the last to learn."
"But you figured it out." She said. "You learned how to do something that comes naturally to so many others. The fact that you were even willing to try is impressive."
He didn't look like he quite believed her, but he looked pleased with himself.
"Thank you." He said. "For teaching me. For gliding with me." He smiled broadly and tucked one of his wings in slightly to do a little spin. Now that he was gliding, he was comfortable enough to experiment. It was in his blood. "For forcing me to not remain grounded."
"If there's one thing I'm good at, it's giving gargoyles the push they need to get into the sky." She said. They were meant to fly. They were creatures of the air. If she had to put in a little extra effort to get someone off the ground, she would. Nothing made her happier than to see the ones she cared about, her clan, in the sky where they belonged, and she would do whatever was necessary to get them there.
