With Fred and George over at Laric's, Ash was taking the opportunity to meet with Mikhail and Alexi. She had been hearing rumors about more people appearing in their area of the Realm. As the Festival was over, and with the murders going on, she wanted to see if her old friend had heard more than she had.
Entering Mikhail's shop, she took a moment to look around at all the sculptures. The Gargoyle was a fine craftsman, and was passing his skills down to his grandson Alexi. There was stone dust all over the floor, and many statues and other things scattered around the shop. In the middle of the back of the room was a tall piece of marble, that was half-finished. It appeared to be a waterfall, with a pool at the bottom that had flowers floating on the surface. It was roughed out, but no fine details had been added yet.
As Ash looked at the waterfall sculpture, she felt Mikhail come up behind her.
"Still entranced by my work I see," Mikhail's gravelly voice echoed through the room, his figure casting a shadow on the unfinished sculpture. His weathered fingers brushed gently over the rough edges of the marble, brown eyes glimmering with pride.
Ash whipped around, her summer sky blue and white wings fluttering happily. "Mikhail," she greeted, her lips curling into a smile. "Your work is as mesmerizing as ever, I cannot help but admire it."
Mikhail harrumphed and crossed his arms over his broad chest, his stony gaze never leaving her face. "You did not come here to flatter an old man. Talk." he ordered.
Ash's smile faltered slightly at Mikhail's gruffness, though she was used to his curt manner. She tossed a sidelong glance at Alexei, who was diligently hunched over a sculpture of a cherub.
"I have heard rumors of strangers appearing in our area," she began. "Some say they are Vampires, some say Werewolves. There are more Demons and Fae appearing as well, but that may just be the usual tourists, or moving for work or family." She spread her hands, and glanced between the two Gargoyles. "But the Vampire and Werewolf rumors are concerning. I had thought most of them chose to stay in the Mortal Realm. And with the murders currently going on, I'm afraid there might be a connection. Or something else is happening and they're using the murders as cover."
Mikhail listened silently, his stony eyes narrowing as Ash spoke. Alexei looked up from his work, interest clearly piqued. Ash studied both gargoyles carefully, searching for any hint of information in their reactions. She had known Mikhail for centuries, had seen him in all his moods and knew how to read the subtle changes in his expression.
"You think there's something bigger at play?" Mikhail frowned.
"You thought there was more to the attempted kidnapping of Lady Annalise's daughter. But we never did find out who was behind that. And the person I caught was just so stupid. It had to be a distraction for something else. I still don't know what." Ash's wings fluttered in agitation as she spoke.
"We have heard similar rumors," Mikhail admitted finally, his voice sounding more gravelly than usual. "Especially about the Vampires and Werewolves."
"But why would they come here?" Alexei interjected. "Isn't the Mortal Realm more suited for them? I always heard that they did not wish to move to the Realm with the rest of us, because they liked hunting Mortals too well."
Ash glanced at the younger gargoyle, her gaze softening slightly. "It's hard to say," she said quietly. "Perhaps they're tired of hiding their nature from mortals. Or perhaps there's something about this realm that attracts them."
"Or maybe they're running from something," Mikhail added gravely.
"Running? From what?" Ash inquired, her brows furrowing in thought. Her wings fluttered anxiously, specks of dust gathering in the air around them. Mikhail didn't answer immediately, his gaze distant as if he was turning over the possibilities in his mind.
"For all their power, they're not invincible," Mikhail finally spoke. "Even among themselves, there are power struggles and wars."
"But to come here?" Ash questioned incredulously, "When they never have before?"
"It's not impossible," Alexei chimed in from his corner in the room, earning the attention of both Ash and his grandfather. "Besides, we don't exactly have the entire picture yet. Maybe they're here because whatever they're running from is worse."
Silence fell, thick and oppressive as they each tried to think what could be bad enough in the Mortal Realm for the Vampires and Werewolves to flee.
"Sometimes fear changes everything," Alexei continued, looking down at the cherub statue he was chiseling, "maybe it's not about what this Realm can offer them, but what they can escape from by coming here."
Ash took a moment to stare at Alexei, her green eyes wide with realization and concern. Perhaps they had been looking at this all wrong. Their enemies weren't necessarily invaders; they might also be refugees. But she still thought they should be careful. How better to conceal yourself than to join a crowd of people and pretend to be one of them?
"But what could be worse?" Ash wondered, half to herself.
"Power," Mikhail said gravely. "Especially unchecked and misused."
Silence fell again as they all looked at each other.
"We should keep an eye out," Mikhail finally broke the silence, his voice sounding more gravelly than usual, "If there's something that scared them badly enough to make them flee... well, it may not be long before it follows them here."
Ash shuddered at the thought, her wings rippling with an invisible wind that no one else in the room could feel. "That's something we do not need," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"What we need and what we get are rarely the same thing," Mikhail said, the lines on his face deepening as he frowned.
With a deep breath, Ash lifted her gaze to meet Mikhail's steady one. "We have to prepare," she said resolutely. "If they're truly running from something, we can't afford to be ignorant of what that might possibly be."
"You speak as though we're going into battle." Alexei's voice cut through the tense atmosphere, his face pale as he looked at Ash warily.
"For all we know, we might be."
