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Chapter Text

~ Chapter 1: When Stone grows colder still ~

I knew.

Denial screamed at me with a thousand voices, but in my heart I felt the atrocious truth without the slightest shadow of a doubt.

I simply knew.

I tumbled through unwonted vertigo, and then a nauseating and visceral sensation ate its way through my chest like a voracious graveworm, relentless in advance; leaving nothing but searing pain in its wake. Until without warning it tore out.

I howled.

Without end, this eternal nightmare unfolded and crushed over me like the darkest tide. I flailed to stay afloat, but it just pulled me under; on and on; drowning me in a sea of anguish, corroding away my guards until there was nothing left to shield me from the merciless claws that lacerated my soul. It was an agony like no other.

At last my roar ebbed, my throat raw and constricting. Only then my vision returned. And with it something else. A white hot fury, bursting free like flesh from stone.

Because illumined by the last of twilight, the horrible deed was revealed to me anew.

Weak, I sunk to my knees before her favorite spot. Stared at the pile of dust and broken stone; stone smashed so thoroughly not even one recognizable piece remained.

Gone.

She was gone. My mate. My Heart. My beautiful Angel of the Night.

My sight swam. With trembling fingers I reached out; sifted through the sharp-edged pieces; fumbling; searching; searching for something… Anything! Beseeching the Stars, I cradled the stones in my hands, lifted them to my face, inhaled deeply; desperately – but of course there was just the cold, arid smell of dead rock.

The stone form was nothing but absolute.

I gasped for air, the blinding agony threatening to overwhelm my mind anew, and a heavy hand landed on my shoulder.

“Lad…”

I craned my neck and found the furrowed, grief-stricken face of the one who had been my mentor in so many ways. An everlasting ferocity emanated from his damaged eye, yet underneath, his gaze was the tranquility within a raging winter storm. Calm. Collected. Focused. And so I eventually remembered the lessons he had taught me and my Rookery siblings after our first battle. I took a ragged breath; feeding all there was, all my pain and all my hatred to the flame inside. It flickered, swelled, consumed – until the fire surrendered to a blissful nothingness.

Floating in the void’s calm, I finally found something remotely resembling sanity. It had to do. Slowly, I loosened my fist around the piece of dead stone, I had been grasping so fervently. His hand, still strong, squeezed. Just that. There was no need for any other words.

Armed with a new sense of distance, I looked back towards my Angel’s remains. Shattered like our dreams; dead like our future. Was this how he had felt when his own mate perished? All these years ago when I was barely considered adult and he still Rhydderch? This gaping maw of agony; this darkest abyss inside one’s soul? The bone-deep conviction that you would do and give absolutely anything to hear her voice again, to see her face again, to just feel her touch once more…

His hand fell away. I shifted my wings and stood up.

Only then I carefully put that piece of her into the bag at my belt. My old mentor arched the ridge above his good eye but said nothing. This was truly far from custom and if the Elders heard about it, they would… No. My thought faltered. Alas, they would not.

You. You are the eldest now, my friend.

“Tell me,” I finally said, my voice hoarse. “Will it ever stop hurting?”

The old gargoyle heaved a deep sigh. “No.”

I nodded. The bond. Of course. But as expected, the former leader of Clan Wyvern was nothing but honest.

A commotion rose from the bailey below. From the… Rookery? In unison we took off the battlement and landed in the courtyard. Suddenly an entirely different wave of scalding-hot fear gripped me and I raced towards the entrance. The devil take it! In my grief, I had not… I could not… The eggs. Our egg.

I grabbed the handle of the Rookery’s iron door. It would not budge a nick. I looked up. One of the granite blocks arching over the entry was charred and cracked. Maybe one of the Sorcerer’s spells going awry?

“-ello? Anyone?” A muffled voice rose from inside, followed by a bang. “-ome help -”

The younglings!

“I pull, you push!” I shouted.

I shifted my stance and strained. For a long moment nothing happened. Then with a loud bang, the iron hinges gave way so suddenly, I stumbled backwards, flapping my wings for balance. I dropped the useless door.

Three young gargoyles stepped out of the entrance, followed by their beast; and I had never felt more serendipitous to see those rascals.

I had to see for myself, though.

I dashed past them and almost tumbled down the slope winding downwards into the heart of the cave. My pulse hammered in my ears. Quickly my eyes adjusted to the gloom. Luminous lichen grew on roughly hewn walls and... There. The lichen’s light bathed the big clutch of 36 eggs in a soft bluish glow. Tension left me and I shivered under a balmy cascade of relief. It would be years before the first one hatched, but for now they had survived. For whatever it was worth…

I dropped down on my knee and gently nudged one of the outer eggs, one with especially many violet spots, into contact with its neighbors once more.

Are you ours, little one?

With a sigh I pushed the infelicitous feel of regret away. When it came to this particular tradition my Angel had been surprisingly adamant in her insistence. Was it for the better? Only time could tell.

On impulse, I drew the short skinning knife from my belt and pressed the wickedly sharp edge against the inside of my left forearm. The thinner, pale skin parted in a neat line. Red welled, then trickled onto the earthen ground.

This is my oath to you, future Clan Wyvern: your mothers and fathers, they will be avenged.

“Lad?” I heard my former mentor call from the entrance above.

With a last solemn nod to the waiting eggs, I left.

For whatever it was worth.

~ * ~

I stared over the battlement at the edge of the woods.

To my dismay, our search of the Castle proved to be utterly futile. The royalty, the soldiers, the servants, the peasants and their children; all humans populating these walls had been taken. Or at least, those who had still breathed. I sighed, then bend over to the young flame-haired soldier, who stared sightless at the night sky. Even my Angel had actually liked this one. I gently closed his eyes, offering a short prayer to Morrígan as it was their custom. He had died in battle after all.

Later. We must do something about their dead later…

Still. There were a lot less human corpses than expected from an attack this size…

“There was betrayal here,” the grave voice of my old friend intruded on my own unspoken musings.

“I agree,” I simply said, feeling the rage at Hakon and his Vikings ignite anew. And at someone, someone who might be the root of all regret. Names came easy. Shamefully so. There were many who would not trust us, who did speak in scorn. Peasants. Some of the guards. The head clerk. The Mage. Even the Princess… But enough to cause such cruelty? To cause the death of my Clan, of my…

My eyes darted back to the woods. Somewhere inside this forest Hakon was hiding with his band of cutthroats, sheltering that traitor. Hatred roared in my veins, but this time I welcomed it; allowed it to slide against me my senses, again and again, like whetstone honing a blade. Focus. Yes. Focus came almost naturally while holding on to the void.

I turned to fix each remaining member of Clan Wyvern and found nothing but resolve in their gaze. Good.

“We are wasting good starlight,” I finally said. “Let us hunt.”

“Aye!”

Their eyes flashed white.

We would find those responsible. And by Cú Chulainn, we would make them pay.

In a motion practiced by a thousand times, I jumped off the battlement, unfolding my wings just so. The gentle updraft from the castle wall caught me, lifted me up. And like a thousand times before it sparked this minuscule hitch of breath, this tiny flash of euphoria, I had ever felt since the day I played in the winds for the first time.

I pushed and shot forward, and for a frozen moment I just was, existing in blissful oneness with the warm currents underneath my wings and the twinkling stars above. Unbidden, my mind drifted. It proved to be fatal. Because it was a beautiful night. The moon, full and bright, hung low above the horizon; the air saturated with spring and growth and life. It was a night in which we would have stolen away from the Castle, would have ridden together on the wind’s intricate currents; a myriad of stars reflecting on my Angel’s sweat glistening skin like gemstones, while we rejoiced in our spiritual and carnal connection; and spurred by the soft delightful moan of hers I would have…

NO!

I ground my teeth to keep myself from howling my anguish to the velvet night and the star-cursed moon. My jaw cramped. The pain became someone else’s pain. I blinked against the sting in my eyes; hurled myself away from those cruel memories and towards the edge of the woods with its alleviative fury and the promise of righteous revenge.

Hakon would pay.

The betrayer would pay.                                                        

They all would pay.

It became my anker, my prayer, over and over, while we followed the trail our four legged gargate companion blazed. Too soon, however, the treetops became too dense to navigate and we dropped from sky, as silent as specters.

I hit the ground running. It did not matter. I had already spotted the faint yellowish light ahead and my lips pulled back. With a thunderous war cry we stormed into the camp, hatred burning in me like hell fire. On the inside some part of me hissed and cringed in alarm; what a waste of our tactical advantage, no finesse, no planning to minimize casualties, just an unstoppable brut force coming at the Vikings with claws, fangs and sword like their worst nightmare.

But these thoughts were strangely remote.

Instead I tore my hand into the soft belly of the first Viking I came across. Those claws were meant to grab stone, they did not cut through skin nicely. Or easily. The human screamed, a high-pitched howl that filled my soul with disgust and sickening satisfaction alike. Around me more screams arose. My brethren had found the enemy as well. The acrid stench of blood, intestines and fear hit my nostrils in a revolting mix. The warrior before me finally fell silent, his gaze empty. I retraced my flexed hand from the unnatural cavity, his flesh and blood sucking onto my fingers almost obscenely.

And yet they bleed just as red as we do…

I dropped the corpse.

And met the wide-eyed gaze of a young boy staring at me in horror. I might not have been more than a shadow to him, but I, I could see it with the crystalline clarity of superior night vision; that very moment in which something crucial in his little innocent heart broke and died.

I flinched. This was not right. Not my any means.

We were supposed to be guardians. Their guardians. His guardians. Not monsters.

But we are also warriors, my Love… My Angel’s ethereal voice whispered.

I took a careful step towards the boy, it’s alright, lad, I can explain, but he just shrieked and shrieked, huddling deeper into the face of the rock that, I only now realized, led to the entrance of a wide cavern.

“RHYDDERCH! BEHIND!”

I whirled around at the warning from one of the younglings, just in time to evade the massive mace crushing down where one moment ago my neck had been. The huge, barrel-chested Viking bared his crooked yellow teeth at me in a feral grin. Hakon’s second. I remembered that twisted motherless devil spawn all too well. My gaze darted back to the mace – and he just cackled in malicious glee.

“Stone’s not so strong to escape Gunnarr’s arm, eh?”

I snarled, using the mental flame to compact my overwhelming hate and rage into one sharp blade of intent. This one would die.

“You will die for this, human.”

I charged. And something crushed into the Viking from the side. Something big and midnight blue. The Warrior lost his balance and fell, the gargate beast burying its long fangs in his shoulder. I skidded to a halt sideways, only wings and tail lashing wildly keeping me afoot.

“Go! Save the Princess!” My old mentor shouted, “I take this one!” He jumped after the beast and landed before Hakon’s second. Then drew his knife, whispering in eerie calm, “With pleasure…”

I turned a away with a curse. My focus darted across the battleground.

The lads were keeping the bulk of Hakon’s warriors busy and it was a relief to see that the Castle’s soldiers and even some of the servants had started fighting back as well. But where was –

There!

In midst of the turmoil I spotted the Princess running away from the camp in a flash of her red dress, followed by Hakon and… Captain Robert?

Confused, I dashed after them, struggling with the sting of betrayal that gnawed at my heart. No. Nonono, this could not be right. Not the Captain. Not the one who had always fought for us; who had always taken care… Who was… our friend.

What does it matter, my Angel scoffed from the recesses of my mind. He betrayed us still…

I clawed through these conflicting feelings, some part of me fervently hoping for the Captain to explain this all away; yet when I skittered to a halt upon the cliff, even that last reminder of hope was stymied by Hakon’s smirk, Princess Katharina’s sorrowful gaze and the Captain’s crestfallen face.

“He did it, Gargoyle,” the Viking offered unbidden. “He smashed those other beast-”

With a truly inhuman roar the Captain hurled himself at Hakon. And thus the Princess, which the Viking leader had grabbed by the arm and hauled before him. Unable to alter his course, the Captain crushed into them. For the blink of an eye they teetered on the edge – then toppled over screaming.

I reacted within the fraction of a heartbeat. I ran and jumped, wings tucked tight. Rock flashed by. I reached out and grabbed for the fluttering scarlet fabric, my other hand clawing into the side of the cliff to halt our fall. The cry from the bundle in my grip turned into a stifled sob as I yanked the Princess up to my back. She threw her arms around my neck, almost choking me. I barely noticed. Instead I looked down; down where the other screams broke off abruptly.

Stars be cursed! How dared they!

Our vengeance, my oath, their just punishment, it all was just… gone. Gone within the blink of one cruel moment. Again.

Transfixed I stared into the blackness. Bereft of my righteous revenge I felt like falling into a deep hole.

Now you truly lost everything…

Below the abyss beckoned.

What is left in this grim world anyway, my Love?

I closed my eyes at the bond’s deceiving lure. Real… How could her voice sound this real?

Come to me…

Stars… I hurt so badly and at the same time, there was this terrible numbness swallowing whatever spark of life there still was…

My Love…

The dark siren crooned so alluringly, and I wondered how far my body would survive the fall if I just let go…

“Goliath?” Princess Katherine suddenly spoke up softly in my ear and broke the abyss’ seductive enchantment. “Can we please climb up now?”

~ * ~

The Princess’ slippered feet had just found solid ground as a high-pitched cry, like a banshees haunting wail, cut through the night. I froze, perfectly recognizing the mixture of rage, loss and pain. The cry of a tortured soul that was torn inside out, that had suddenly lost… everything.

I shook myself out of my stupor and dashed after the Princess, who was already racing back towards the viking’s camp. I overtook her with ease – she was a Princess after all – and stumbled to a halt before the cavern’s entrance. It took my mind an excruciatingly long moment to process the scene before me; the young Magus on his knees, spellbook cradled to his chest, white hair tousled, tear-stained face twisted in a mask of hate and anguish. And before him five unmoving figures, frozen in time by the petrifying power only the sun wielded over us.

What in the light-cursed name of…

My eyes darted to the horizon, but dawn was still hours away.

“Stone at night?” I roared at the Magus. “What trickery is this?”

“Yes, Magus,” Princess Katherine suddenly added from my side, her breath coming hard. “I would like to know as well. What possessed you to… to –”

“Princess!” The Magus exclaimed and staggered upright. “You are alive!”

“Of course I am. Goliath…” she paused and gave me a look, I had never beheld on her before. Deep and honest gratitude. “He saved me.” And then softer. “Like they have always done…”

“Princess, I…”

The pale-haired man rushed over, more words gushing from his lips, but they just droned out in the shrill whistle inside my ears as I stood before the remnants of my Clan. I stretched out a trembling hand to touch my mentor’s face. What should have been flesh alive, was hard and cold beneath my fingers; a perfect effigy of the living, each line more intricate than any chisel could ever carve from stone.

Only once had I observed the stone form at night, back then during the battle against King Culén, when one of our warriors had been injured so gravely not even the stone sleep could heal her…

“What have you done?” I whispered.

But only silence answered.

~ * ~

Everything hurt.

My arms. My back. My wings. My muscles were nothing but a knotted mass of screaming pain. Almost there. Arms cramping I kept holding on to the heavy stone. My tail constricted around the bulky body even tighter. Almost there. Do not. Let go!  The pedestal hovered before me, tantalizingly close. I gritted my teeth and strained. Just one more… With a groan I slipped the beast on the tower’s pedestal. Exhaling, I slid down the ledge to the walkway.

Stars… I was tired to my bones; and it had nothing to do with the sun only moments away from tickling the horizon.

I gazed up to regard my work. All remaining members of Clan Wyvern were resting on the Castle’s highest tower once more, each facing the oncoming dawn. The thought to leave them by the cavern even for just one night had been unbearable. So I hauled them back, one by one.

“Goliath,” The Princess called softly from the wooden trapdoor that led to the tower’s platform. “It is time…”

“I will be with you shortly,” I replied. Weary I regarded my mentor’s stone form, illumined by the edge of twilight; and for the length of two heart beats I could almost deceive myself into believing that he would burst from his stone casket any moment to bestow us with his worldly wisdoms…

I definitely could use your wisdom right now, old friend.

I took a steeling breath and dragged myself upright. No point in stalling. My decision had been made.

And yet… if the spell’s words had been different, had it imprecated them with a magical slumber for a hundred equinoxes instead; a thousand; it would have changed everything. I would have stayed behind; protected them; guarded what was left of my Clan for as long as stone turned to flesh at dusk.

But this? This, ‘Castle rising above the clouds’?

Who was I fooling, it was a condition designed to be impossible to meet. Plain and simple.

Suppressing a sigh, I turned around to face my fate. I should have felt anger, at the very least about the outrageous wrongfulness of it all, but when I glanced down at the pale-haired Magus, there was nothing but pity. Today made abundantly clear that he harbored strong feelings for the Princess. And it was just as obvious that his yearnings would forever go unanswered. Like all humans they were prisoners of their own design, of their rigid society with its countless rules; and Princesses never chose Wizards for their mates in this kind of world.

Their ways are not our ways.

Too true. Fortunately.

“Are you certain, we shall… proceed?” the Magus asked hesitantly.

I nodded. “Aye. The eggs?”

“Just as I promised,” the Princess replied. Then she squared her shoulders, looking me straight in the eyes. “I swear; by my blood, by the winds and the sea, and by the Gods by whom my people swear, to protect these eggs with my life and ensure the survival of Clan Wyvern.”

I blinked in surprise. I had not expected any oat at all, let alone one so binding and strong. I inclined my head. “Thank you. Your Highness.”

And in the harsh grey of predawn, for the first time in forever, the princess truly smiled at me. “Farewell. My friend.”

My heart eased, but it was a short-lived joy; obliterated as soon as I climbed the free pedestal, when the night’s smothering tragedy and the finality of my decision caught up with me once more. At least I was too exhausted to summon any anxiety.

What would happen to me? Would it be like a deep unconscious sleep from which I simply never wakened? Or would the spell grant us our dreams at least; to let us dream in merciful oblivion until our bodies were smitten to a thousand pieces as well?

How come that we are even capable of dreaming when the stone form is absolute?

I shook my head. This was the kind of philosophical riddle only certain younglings would ponder. And then another thought occurred. Maybe… maybe in my dreams she was still alive.

My Angel… I miss you so much already…

I opened my belt bag and closed my hand around the sharp-edged stone. Tightly. It dug into my palm. Crisp. Sharp. Then the sensation dulled. No! By the Stars, I would not let go. I could not. Would not! I clenched harder; welcomed the stone’s jarred bite; welcomed the tribute of blood it demanded.

And like a strangely prophetical omen, a deep dangerous red tinted the edge of the horizon.

I locked my gaze with the pale-haired Magus.

“Do it, Sorcerer.“

Chapter Text

~ Chapter 2 : Awakening to a starless World ~

“Hello, hello, and GOOD MORNING Downtown! I'm Becky...”
“…and I'm Sid.”
“…and this is the Z100 morning show!”
*Waaaaking up, Neeeew Yooooork!*
“Well, Early Birdies, it’s October 4^th and it looks like we have another beautiful warm and sunny day ahead.”
“Mh-hmm. It surely feels like summer, right, Sid? And what better way to cherish those days than with one of this years’ hottest summer hits!”
“Do you promise, Becky?”
“Oh yeah, by the moon and the stars in the skies!”
*I SWEAR*

“Uhg, no, please don't,” I growled at the radio, while flooring it down Madison Ave.

The car’s windows were down and my hair was flying wildly in the cool wind. Over the East River the new day’s first rays crawled up, promising indeed a picture book Indian Summer with warmth, fun and sunshine galore.

The traffic light ahead switched to red. I slammed the breaks a maybe a tad too hard, and fished for my sun glasses.

I could have punched the happy day in the teeth.

But, good girl I was, I hit the skip button instead. *I’ll make love to you*. Right. Keep on dreaming, Babyface.

On K-Rock the Beastie Boys greeted me. I turned them up, which actually lifted my spirits. Marginally.

It was 7 am, my shift just ended, I sported a black eye, a strained wrist and my brand new jeans jacket was covered in someone else’s blood.

Sabotage. Yes indeed.

At least traffic was light, and only some ten minutes later, I slammed the Fairlane’s door shut and scurried through the entrance of our apartment building.

“Good morning, Dear.”

Startled, I looked up and at the elderly woman already in her pink scrubs for her work at the clinic. “Uh hi, Mrs. Jackson. Good morning to you, too.”

Her piercing dark eyes mustered me. Then her usual austere expression melted at the sight of my disheveled appearance. Or maybe it was the blood. “Rough night?”

“Yah, one could say that.”

She gave my jacket a pointed look. “I hope that’s not yours?”

I shook my head, infinitely grateful for the sunglasses that prevented any further health inquiries. “Accident on the 19th. I was the closest unit, so…”

She nodded, her steel-grey bun bobbing. “I see. Well, I should let you get some rest.”

I gave her a thankful smile. “Thanks. Wish you a most eventless shift.”

She snickered at our little ritual and I pushed the button for the elevator.

“Sorry hon',” Mrs. Jackson added over her shoulder. “Lift's out again.”

I dropped my head back groaning.

Why me?

When I had finally dragged my sorry ass up to the fifth floor and into my loft, my eyes needed matchsticks to stay open. I kicked off my boots, remembering just in time not to toss my blood-soaked jacket on the white bench below the coat rack.

“Meow.”

My feline room mate greeted me and jumped on the bench. I leaned forward and nudged my face against his.

“Hey Cagney, how’s your night been?”

The tomcat purred and I scratched his chin.

“Mhm, lucky you, mine really sucked.”

He meowed in my face and hopped off, making a beeline for the kitchen, as single-minded as a bulimic at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

I shuffled into the kitchen after him.

“MEEEOW!”

“Yeah, yeah. Your lowly human-servant is hurrying.” I rummaged through the cabinet. “How does chicken sound?”

“MEOW, MEOW.”

Right, why should His Fuzziness care. I filled his bowl and left him to his own mysterious devices. Boy, was I tired…

I tossed my dirty, bloody clothes on the bathroom floor and kicked the door shut. Sleep. Finally. I dropped face first into my bed. Just as the neighbors two floors down started fixing something that apparently needed a drill hammer to be fixed.

Uhg. I fucking hated Mondays.

_<~*.~.*~>_

The wind rustles through the meadow in a gentle breeze that caresses my skin.

I lie stretched out on the soft grass, the stars a sparkling band above. The low thunder of a summer storm rumbles in the very distance. It is… peaceful and I find myself drifting towards a gentle doze once more.

A weight shifts on my chest and a dark svelte silhouette rises against the backdrop of the night’s sky. I run my hands up her muscular thighs and grab her waist. Her wings snap open. She leans in, sharp canines slowly dragging down the side of my neck. I shiver in delight, claw-tipped fingers flexing into the small of her back.

A soft summer rain starts to fall on us.

“Wake…” she whispers and her breath is warm against my skin.

I wrap my arms around her, longing for more.

“My love…” Her lips find my ear, then her teeth follow. Oh stars…

“Wake up.”

The dream shattered with a blinding flash and the sharp crack of thunder.

My frozen heart contracted.

Once. Twice.

Muscles jerked in reflex and bumped against a familiar resistance that encased my body. Blind chaos filled my mind; fractured shreds of fleeting thoughts, memories and dreams. My body just… reacted. With a deep guttural roar it exploded into motion, stiff limbs stretching to shed their cage of stone.

My head fell back and I stared into a starless, overcast sky. Rain drummed hard against my skin. Another thunder clapped. I sucked in the air with a greedy gasp.

Awake.

I was awake.

A dull pain dug into my palm. Bewildered I looked down and stared at the jagged piece of stone, coated in a sheen of blood. Then awareness surged, a wave breaking against a cliff, and brought back coherence.

How…?

My Clan!

Frantic I spun around. Familiar figures stirred on the ledge below.

I dropped down from the tower to them and for a long, lighthearted moment there was just relieved sighs, hearty embraces and joyful grins. Until...

“Wha... Look...” The bald, diminutive gargoyle exclaimed with more than a touch of reverence in his words.

“By the Moon...”

I turned. And deliberately took in our environment for the very first time. The rain was finally lessening and yes, we did indeed stand next to the same old tower that rose on the side of Castle Wyvern… but there the familiarity ended. Beyond the walls of our home, a disconcerting view opened up. For one there were lights everywhere, like a thousand of tiny campfires flickering in the field. And colors! White, yellow, red, blue and even green dots and splashes of light spreading without end in whichever direction I looked.

“Houses. These are Houses,” one of the younglings whispered, stumbling upon the word that simply did not justify the sight by far.

But Stars… He was right. I stared in amazement until something else tugged on my awareness. Underneath the familiar sound of the rain and the voice of the wind a cacophony of strange noises drifted up from... below? I stepped forward and looked over the edge of the battlement and the merlons. A veritable canyon of light stretched out below us, and if the movements of these spots of light were any indication… We must be truly up high. Higher than the highest tower; higher than the highest cliffs…

“Where by the Stars are we, Rhydderch?” My old mentor’s voice was ripe with something I’ve never heard in it before. Fear.

“Not where,” I mumbled, swallowing hard as I remembered the Magus’ curse. “When...”

Suddenly the Beast growled and someone cleared his throat. We whirled around.

Two human men had come out the narrow parapet passage; both of tall, slender build; one brown, the other fair-haired. The fair-haired was holding a peculiar contraption, clearly meant to hold off the rain, over the other man.

“Are you the one, they call Goliath?” The brown-haired man asked, his gaze eager to drill into my skull.

“Aye,” I simply replied and the human’s dark eyes lit up in such a predatory way, it caused a sliver of unease to crawl down my spine.

“Excellent.”

And then a deep, booming sound rocked the stone behind us.

~ * ~

Attack.

We were under attack.

Worse, our home was under attack.

PROTECT!

On its own my body exploded into motion at the powerful inner command. Some instincts were simply integrated too deeply in our bones and souls to ignore. Without words we fanned out to circle in on the direction of the threat. Humans in odd helmets and armor were roping down from a beast of steel that hung over the courtyard and… Wait. The beast… it was flying. Flying! Before I had the chance to process this incredulous information one of the humans pointed a peculiar gadgetry at me. I dove to the side and a sharp staccato tore through the night. I had no idea what these things were, but by Cú Chulainn, I knew a weapon when I saw one. I whirled around and came for the human warrior with raised fists. My eyes flashed white. He did neither flee nor lifted his weapon.

Grave, grave mistake…

No human stood a chance in direct combat; not even the toughest Viking warrior had.

And yet, once again the truths that had applied for all my life were turned inside out. Beneath his round helmet the human’s mouth curled into a feral grin. He dropped his weapon and then he reached out to grab my wrist.

Wha..?

The thought had not even registered in full, as I found myself airborne; my body’s mass and movement turned against me somehow. I hit the ground hard, the impact forcing the air from my lungs. I gasped, pain racing up my wings, twisted awkwardly under my own weight. I tasted metal on my tongue. The human warrior was chuckling. Chuckling! My ears burned with indignation and I rolled over on my stomach, snatching the warrior by the ankle. I slammed my other fist against the side of his kneecap. It gave way with a nauseating, yet satisfying, crunch. I spat out blood and scrambled back to my feet. At least that had made him stop laughing.

I looked around. Half of these disturbingly formidable warriors seemed down, also thanks to the brown-haired man who was handling some kind of bulky, misshaped wand that shot out rays of blinding light. Sorcerers! Of course, that must be it…

“GOLIATH, BEHIND! GRENADE!” the man yelled.

I turned, a tiny round object flying towards me. Beware of any more magic, I skittered left. With a thunderous boom the orb exploded on the stone, and for a second time I found my feet ripped off the ground quite literally. Only this time there simply was nothing to land on… I reached out, claws digging into the side of the castle wall. I slipped for a terrible moment until my left hand found purchase. Then my right – and lost it; the loose block broke free from the stonework and fell into the deep canyon below. Quickly I grabbed for the new opening, hanging on to catch a breath. Then I scrambled up the wall.

The Beast and the former leader of Clan Wyvern had managed to overpower another of these warriors, with the Beast pressing one paw down on his back and my old friend busy tying hands and feet together with something that looked like a piece of the curtains. The three younglings were nowhere in sight.

The brown-haired man lay weaponless on the ground next to the entrance to the main hall and cursed profoundly after a group of five that climbed into their flying beast of steel. The… machinery? lurched into the air, then thundered off with enviable velocity. I watched them with dark eyes. For now the battle was over and we had repelled their attack. But an enemy like that would always be back, and soon. I turned my glare towards my old mentor’s prisoner. In the end we only caught one. No matter. They would not catch us by surprise again.

Until then… I stalked over to the brown-haired human and dragged him to his feet by the front of his black shirt. I gave him two heartbeats to catch himself then I drew myself up straight, stretched my wings and crossed my arms before my chest.

“Human,” I growled. “Explain. NOW.”

~ * ~

And explaining he did.

Though it was, I daresay, quite challenging to believe his words.

A thousand years…

I was not quit sure whether to weep or cackle with madness. At least it explained all the foreign and surreal things we had encountered so far. Weapons and cryptic machines as powerful as the highest magic! Food and water aplenty! Humans living in sky-high towers of steel! Rooms filled with thousands of books, bursting with knowledge!

After the conversation, the Clan and I had retreated into a secluded corner of the Great Hall. Or better, what used to be the Great Hall. There was hardly any resemblance to the gloomy, drafty hall; part throne room, part mead hall; and truth to tell, I greatly appreciated the change. This part of the Castle had only held memories of rejection and resentment anyway.

My wandering gaze stopped at the Grimorum Arcanorum in its glass casket. It pained me that there seemed to be no knowledge about the fate of the Clan’s eggs… With a sigh I turned my attention back to my Clan. Even if they had survived and hatched, their children and their children's children would have since long been turned to ashes and delivered to the Wind.

“… really, this hurts my head just from thinking about it,” the largest of the younglings lamented.

My old mentor dropped a hand on my arm and motioned me a few steps into an alcove to where the Beast was napping.

“I don't like this, my friend,” he said under his breath, blind eye glaring. “Do you trust this human, this Xanatos?”

No human can ever be trusted… The voice of my Angel whispered in the back of my mind and I suppressed the urge to flinch in pain. No trust. Not ever again…

“No. But this is home. Our only home. I fear there is not much choice left for us. At least for the time being. And for all it is worth, he broke the curse. For this I am willing to give him the benefit of doubt.”

“And do these deeds for him as requested?”

“If retrieving these items is what it takes to see you all safe, then yes.”

He sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Maybe you are right. And we have need of someone who would teach us the ropes of this strange new world…”

“Huh. Yah, well.” I then heard the red-skinned youngling say. “But don't you think it is at least a little odd that these people still speak Gaelic? After a thousand years?”

I exchanged a troubled glance with my old friend. The lad was right. There had been books in the old Castle’s library that had been barely understandable, and they had merely been a Century old.

“Actually, I do not think they do,” I slowly begun, focusing back on my conversation with the human called Xanatos, trying to taste and place the words. Then my eyes widened. It almost sounded...

“I recognize now,” the former Rhydderch hissed at my side. “It is the language of the Britons! Or some deviation of it!”

He was right. However… “I hear your thoughts, my friend, but… just one caveat. I am not nearly versed enough in their tongue to conduct any meaningful conversation...” We both looked at the younglings. And they certainly had never before even heard the Briton’s language.

The red-skinned lad shrugged. “Apparently, all of us are now.”

“Smacks of magic,” the old Gargoyle rumbled.

“Maybe it came with the spell?” the smart, diminutive Gargoyle offered.

“Aye.” Then he threw up his hands. “Bah, star-cursed wizards. Causing mischief even after being dead for a thousand years. Who knows what other surprises that white-haired rapscallion left us with, eh?”

I felt the ghost of a smile at the old Gargoyle’s good-natured tirade. It was good that some things apparently never changed.

Suddenly the Beast lifted his head with a start. He sniffed the air, bound to his feet and skulked off with a low growl.

The others looked at each other, then shrugged.

Of course. “Do not mind. I will go and find out what he is up to.”

_<~*.~.*~>_

I snickered to myself while sneaking up the dimly lit spiral stairs, flashlight in hand, feeling like Nancy Drew. It was true, the oldest tricks always worked best.

If Mr. Burnett thought he could keep me from inconveniencing his Boss this easily, he would be in for a thorough disappointment.

Repelled invasion, my old-aged grandma.

Even though his story checked out somewhat with the gunfire and the damage I’d seen briefly on the courtyard, my instincts and training told me that Xanatos was lying through his teeth.

And what about those weird scratches, detective?

Yeah, those.

Think, Maza. Claw marks in stone! Does that even make any sense to you?

Well… of course there was also the distinct possibly that I was completely mistaken about what I had seen. And yet, Xanatos as well as Burnett had been awfully exerted to tow me through the court yard and garden as quickly as possible. What else but more evidence that Xanatos was hiding something? Or rather more than usual. It was almost pathologic with corporate men like him. At one point or the other they all became so used to lying, they couldn't stop if their life depended on it.

I reached the top of the stairs, the cone of my flashlight revealing two passages. Left or right? I paused and ran a hand along the rough, stone door frame. In contrast to Xanatos office, this part of the castle truly felt ancient and raw. Boy, he really had brought a whole frigging castle up here, didn’t he? The thought alone was mindboggling. How much good all this money could have done instead…

I felt a draft coming from my right. Okay then. I followed the passage to another opening that seemed to lead to the outside once more. In a quiet concession to modern times, the red light of a lone camera blinked in the corner above the doorway. I sighed, then sprinted through. It couldn't be helped. But chances were good that his security was still busy with whatever had truly happened this night.

I stepped outside. The sky had finally cleared off. The waning moon hung high above and casted the castle in a soft light. I could see part of the courtyard from here. Maybe if I…

A low growl rose from behind me.

I whirled around with a start. Something shifted in the shadows by the doorway.

Crap. Xanatos got himself a watch dog. And it was not a corgi if that deep, threatening snarl was any indication…

My hand sneaked to my Glock 17 and I took a breath to steady my racing pulse. I swear, if he made me shoot a dog I was going to be royally pissed.

And then a huge paw peeled away from the shadows. The massive body that followed was the stuff of nightmares. Built like a mastiff but with deep blue skin, spiked ridges along his spine, and a muzzle full of fangs and shark teeth. Its eyes were completely white, almost as if shining with an eerie glow from within.

“Uhh, you’re not a corgi.”

Way to go, Sherlock.

In reply it flicked its weird, fanlike protrusion it got for ears, fixing me with its unnerving stare. Damn. What on Earth was this thing?

The growl became aggressive. It bit the air and advanced.

Aww, fuck this. I mean, it wasn’t even really a dog, right?

I pulled the Glock.

A second, even larger, humanoid figure rushed out from the shadows with a snarl of his own; ripped the pistol from my hand, and… crushed it. I just stared; brain checked out at the image’s sheer inconceivability. Before me stood a bare-chested muscle-bound giant of a man with violet skin, predatory fangs, intense dark eyes and… oh my god, wings!

The primal ape inside my brain yelled at me to RUN. I tumbled backwards – away, just away – for a brief second the back of my legs touched stone – and then suddenly there was nothing. Nothing! I screamed at the sudden vertigo and as I felt myself falling over the low balustrade, I had time for precisely two thoughts:
shit, I’m gonna die and what the fuck did I just see?

_<~*.~.*~>_

The peculiar woman stumbled backwards, her wide-eyed stare fixed on me.

Oh no. The low merlon would not hold her! I darted forward to grab her –

She was gone with a scream.

Without a second thought I dove after, well aware of the situation's blatant irony. Another thing that apparently refused to change, even after a thousand years.

Wings tucked close, I dropped after the human woman, gaining momentum. She had squeezed her eyes shut, tawny face twisted by her continued scream, her long black hair whipping wildly around her head.

I closed in.

But so did the lights below. Rapidly.

I stretched out my arms and edged closer. My fingers touched fabric. Closer. I got a hold on her jacket. Finally. I pulled, her scream choked off, and I snaked an arm around her midriff. My wings snapped open, abruptly slowing our fall.

I leaned upon the faint updraft until we gained some altitude once more; the wind’s comforting touch running along my skin like an old friend.

Searching for a place to land, I shifted my hold on the human. It caused her to yelp and quickly squeeze her arms around my neck – and her legs around my torso. Which was most… unexpected.

Finally I spotted a promising shadowed ledge maybe 30 paces above ground. I dropped on it, carefully plucking the human off me and setting her down.

She tossed her long black hair back and stared at me with big brown eyes. Then her gaze darted over me; my face, my body, my tail, my wings and back to my face. Her lips moved soundlessly, her heart-shaped face a mixture of shock, fear, disbelief and something else. Neither hatred, nor repulsion. Curiosity?

Suddenly her hand darted out – and poked my biceps with her finger.

I grunted in surprise.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, “Just checking I'm not hallucinating.”

“Do not worry,” I replied with a snort. “You are not. I am real.”

“You speak… What... You’re not an angel. Are you?”

I flinched at her words. “No,” I exhaled, forcing the sudden pain away. “I do not know if your time has a name for my kind. But you humans used to call me Goliath.”

“I see,” she said. “Well, I’m Elisa Maza.” Then the woman stretched out her hand, smiling. “Thank you, Goliath, for saving my life.”

I took her small hand in mine. It was surprisingly warm. As was her smile. Most unexpected, indeed.

“So,” I begun, releasing her hand. “What were you doing at our Castle?”

“Our castle?” She arched her brow and tapped her chin with her finger. “Does that mean there are more like you?”

I sighed. “Barely.” I turned to inspect the area. Shadow or not, this ledge was not nearly as safe from prying eyes as I would have liked.

“Goliath, wait. What now? Do we fly back up?”

I looked over my shoulder at the peculiar woman in her peculiar clothes. “I do not fly. I only glide.”

“Huh. Okay. So then what? Wanna go through the lobby and call the lift?”

I sighed again. This one… more questions than from a whole clutch of nosy younglings! “No, we climb. Hold on, Elisa Maza.” I lifted her on my back and turned towards the building rising before us. “You… you can trust me.”

_<~*.~.*~>_

You can trust me.

With his words echoing in my ears, I clung on to dear life quite literally, by the neck and back of this purple-skinned Hulk with wings, who was scaling the vertical wall of a skyscraper like friggin’ Spider-Man. Or maybe not. These were claws, not some weird electrostatic adhesion effect.

Shit. I was rambling.

Get a goddamn grip, Maza.

I closed my eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. I was far from being prone to hysterics, but this was definitely giving it hard run for its money. His mane tickled my face. I couldn’t help notice that he smelled... nice. A bit like a rock heated up by a desert sun, maybe?

Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you?

“Caution now,” he said, his deep voice slipping into my thoughts. “We need to get back to this other tower. Hold tight.”

And with a hop we were flying.

No, gliding.

My stomach fluttered and then we had crossed the distance, reached the façade of the Eyrie building and were resuming with our ascent.

One might have expected that my amygdala would keep screaming at me in alarm, but nooo, for some reason my guts found it totally reasonable to trust this creature, called ‘Goliath’ of all things. Worse, the detective in me rather found this whole episode terribly intriguing. I mean, Goliath clearly wasn’t too keen on showing himself to humans, so he could have simply let me fall to my inglorious death with none the wiser. So why did he take such risk and went through the effort to save me? It hardly was because Xanatos said so.

I felt the motion of shoulders slabbed with powerful muscles through my leather jacket, as he kept climbing with even, efficient movements and never mind the pesky human clinging to his back. I craned my neck at the chance to study some parts of him up close. He had his bat-like wings tucked close and in some way they were actually the most baffling part. Not the wings itself but the fact that he had both, wings AND arms! How was that even possible? Sure, I hadn’t been the best student in school, but I was absolutely certain that Earth bred no mammals, or any other vertebrate for that matter, with 6 limbs. Did this mean he was actually an alien species? Like from outer space? It seemed like kind of a stretch but…

With a last push he suddenly pulled us over the ledge. Solid ground. Finally. I scrambled down his back and a growl rose from my left.

I sucked in my breath. Shit. I forgot. “Ahh...”

“Do not worry, Elisa Maza,” Goliath said and dropped his large paw on the strange beast’s head. “He is harmless. And he would never harm anyone unless I say so.”

“And will you… say so?”

He started scratching the beast’s chin. “That depends. I still do not know why you were in our Castle.” He paused and shot me a piercing look from deep-brown, and somehow unexpected human, eyes. Then he added with something suspiciously resembling a smirk. “And please, this time, do not fall off the building again.”

I dragged a hand over my face.

Oh boy. An alien AND a smart ass. You’ve got to be kidding me, right?

~ * ~

So, I showed him mine.

He showed me his. Eh-hem, strictly proverbial speaking, of course.

It was a lot to process. And I mean a friggin’ lot.

As usual it all started with betrayal. The oldest story in the book.

Yeah, like a thousand years old.

The existence of a creature like him alone was already hard to believe, but magic? A spell that made him and his sleep for a millennia? Of course my grandparents had always talked about magic in some capacity or the other, Powaqa, Spirits, shamanism, the forces of nature, but I’ve never taken it as anything but folklore mixed with some tradition-induced superstition. And in just one conversation my whole world and set of beliefs had been turned upside down. Shows what I knew.

‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’

The quote reverberated through my head; a last straw the clinical detective in me kept clinging on, however weak.

I watched Goliath from the corner of my eyes. He looked at the city in silence, wrapped up in memories his account of the events had clearly stirred up. No matter how unbelievable and tragic, their story was also fascinating. Oh and any medieval historian would probably have kittens.

It was clear they would need help to navigate the 20^th century and I had my serious doubts that Xanatos would give just one flying fuck. Or use them for any other means than his own agenda. Damn, they had already been betrayed in the worst way and lost all that was precious to them along with their place in the world… Not matter what they were, no one deserved a fate like that. And people like Xanatos always found ways to exploit these kind of tragedies. That is… Not if I could help it. I owed it to him. He had saved my life after all.

Beyond the skyline the horizon was greying. Huh. When had it gotten this late? I suppressed a yawn and stole another glance at Goliath. He stood almost two heads taller than me and had his wings wrapped around his body like a black cape, hiding most of his wrestling champion build. He stared at some distant place, the sharp lines of his alien, angular face as unmoving as if chiseled from stone, dark-brown-almost-black mane spilling down his back. His long serpentine tail twitched slightly and curled around his powerful claw-tipped foot, the only indication that he was indeed alive.

I looked at the remains of my gun, shaking my head. Damn. That strength.

“Rhydderch!” a young male voice suddenly called.

I turned to see four more of his kind approaching; and apparently they came in quite different sizes and shapes, much more than any other of earth's creature, maybe with the exception to humans.

The three in the front looked young, and I could imagine it was the red-skinned with the odd beak-like mouth and a shock of white hair who had spoken. He was flanked by a short, slender, bald youth with khaki-colored skin and a big, barrel-chested aquamarine-colored one who had similar fan-like ears like their beast. Like Goliath they all wore loincloths held by a big belt, leaving their chest bare.

The rear was brought up by a portly, white-haired and bearded creature with tan skin and a nasty-looking scar across his right eye. In addition to the loincloth he wore a leather chest plate. He was also the only one wearing any visible weapon, a curved blade looking a bit like a falchion.

And something else occurred – they were all male. I filed the information away for later.

They halted before us, giving me a thorough examination. The red-skinned youth stepped closer and sniffed at me. Oh goodie.

“Is this a new friend?”

“Boy, I hope so,” I mumbled under my breath.

“Maybe,” Goliath added in a low, almost growling voice. “Clan, this is Elisa Maza. A… detective?”

“What is a detective, lass?” the old one asked, stumbling over the unfamiliar word.

I explained and he frowned.

“A system of justice? I don’t know, lass, humans always had strange ideas about what is right and what is wrong…”

That was… kinda hard to argue away.

Goliath saved me from any half-assed reply. “Dawn is close. You should leave now, Elisa Maza.”

I nodded. “Of course. Look, uhm, tomorrow’s my day off, so if it’s okay for you, I can stop by in the afternoon and tell you about the city, maybe show you around some? And explain a few things you definitely need to know about this age.” I paused. “I’d really like to return the favor. Without you, Goliath...” I trailed off, suppressing a shiver. Damn, that had been an awfully close one.

“You are probably right,” he consented with a sigh. “We do need to know. But not in the afternoon. We meet after dusk. At this,” he pointed to the rooftop of a nearby 1960’s residential skyscraper.

“Okay, this evening then. Bye,” I gave them a final friendly wave and retreated, head spinning.

Damn. This had been one helluva night.

I can't stand it, I know you planned it
I'm gonna set it straight, this Watergate
I can't stand rocking when I'm in here
'Cause your crystal ball ain't so crystal clear
So while you sit back and wonder why
I got this fucking thorn in my side
Oh my God, it's a mirage
I'm tellin' y'all, it's a
SABOTAGE

Sabotage - Beastie Boys

Chapter Text

~ Chapter 3 : Of Blood and Stone ~

I slipped out of the steel door and entered the roof top of the appointed apartment block that sat straight across Carnegie Hall, its venerable façade bathed in the late afternoon’s glow. I glanced around, but the maintenance area was thankfully empty. It hadn’t been easy to sneak into the building and after dark the security would have been even tighter. Heavy door in hand, I still hesitated. Let’s face it, I was trespassing, and for no other reason than my own ungodly curiosity, and a bad case of helper syndrome.

And what if they wouldn’t even show up? I would be hard pressed to explain why an off-duty detective of the 23rd precinct got herself locked out on some random roof top… Oh yeah, quite the hoot. I fished for a package of tissues in the pockets of my cherry red leather jacket and stuck it between the frame and the door to keep it from closing. There. At least some sort of exit strategy.

Note to self: do not let someone who slept for a thousand years choose a meeting spot. And get the timings straight; ‘after dusk’ could literally mean anything. I sighed and sat down, out of direct sight of anyone coming through that door. Wasn’t as if I had anything else to do on my free night, so…

Oh boy. Perhaps I really should reconsider some of my life's choices, as my sis had put it so nicely.

I unrolled the paper bag I brought along, taking out a chicken sandwich and a can of IPA. Hey, it was my day off after all, and this was more or less my lunch. I had stared at the ceiling of my bedroom for a long time after returning home, a gazillion thoughts racing through my head, until Cagney eventually purred me to sleep. Yawning, I rubbed my eye. At least the shiner hadn’t turned out half as bad. The small things…

Slowly chewing on my sandwich, I watched the sky tint from orange to red; waiting for these unexplainable creatures to show up. Damn… What kind of rabbit hole had I fallen through exactly? This… they… all of it was just impossible six fucking ways to Sunday.

From an open window nearby, Alice Cooper’s raspy voice filtered out:

“I was gone for fourteen days
I could've been gone for more
Held up in the intensive care ward
Lyin' on the floor
I was gone for all those days
But I was not all alone
I made friends with a lot of people
In the danger zone”

I sipped my IPA as the sky shifted to a deep blue and I listened to the music and the underlaying heartbeat of the city that somehow never ceased to fascinate me.

The truth was I just loved working the nightshift. And it kinda helped that I’d never been much of a morning person either. After dark the city was… different. More dangerous for sure. More beautiful, too, with the coat of night benevolently covering up all these ugly scars. More alive. And yet also more… vulnerable; the rift between predators and those in need of help wider than ever.

In a way this was what had always drawn me; what had made me follow Dad into the Department. Ever since I could remember I had felt this urge to make the world a better place; especially for those who couldn’t fend for themselves. Protect and serve. Being a detective… it was more than just a job. It filled me with a deeply satisfying sense of meaning. And connection; connection to something larger than myself, larger than any of these petty little issues my stupid brain and social conventions could come up with. Large enough to positively drone out that pesky voice that kept ranting about the withering death of my dating life and that punched ticket for the crazy-cat-lady-train. Mostly.  

Gee, likely my body had already replaced my sex organs with cup holders, anyway.

“See my lonely life unfold
I see it every day
See my lonely mind explode
When I’ve gone insane”

I snickered.

Alice, my buddy, you have no fucking idea how right you are.

_<~*.~.*~>_

My body woke and burst from its thin layer of stone.

Breathe.

My eyes snapped open and I inhaled with a sharp hiss. What awaited me was still a very confusing sight. I allowed my mind another moment to adjust. The lights. The noises. The scents…

The scents.

That scent.

My heart skipped a terrible beat. No. It was madness. A trick of my deluded mind, a treachery caused by the bond’s relentless need to uphold the connection. And yet… For a tiny moment I could have sworn to have recognized her scent in the autumn air. My angel’s beautiful, warm scent.

We are as one.

A touch. An embrace. A kiss. Unbidden, memories kept flooding.

So did the pain.

I forced the breath from my lungs, fumbling for the flame and the void. Slowly the pain retreated and I couldn’t help realizing that the millennia – even though spent asleep – had lessened the sting somewhat…

Betrayer.

The word cut through my mind like a barbed whiplash, yet I kept pushing until the memories folded back into the recesses of my mind. I would face these demons another day.

Instead my eyes drifted up to the sky. Tonight it was clear, but oddly enough there were still no stars. How was this possible? And how would people navigate at night these days instead?

I shook my head. I had to ask Elisa Maza about this. The peculiar human had been right about one thing: we definitely needed a guide to this new world.

I dropped off the former Wizard’s tower to find the rest of my Clan already chatting about and just some moments later the younglings took off to explore our vicinity. I watched them with two minds. On the one hand they seemed to adapt with remarkable ease and eagerly embraced each chance to learn more about this age, but on the other…

I turned my gaze on my old mentor who was watching them leave with a gloomy expression. Then he shook his head and scratched the Beast’s head, mumbling under his breath.

“You don’t approve.” I simply stated.

His hand stilled. Then he straightened with a long sigh. “I… I do not know, my friend. This,” he made an encompassing gesture, “this world is nothing like it used to be. It is loud, garish and filled with things that make no sense. At least not to me.” He caught my gaze. “Maybe I’m just too old. I… I fear I am not of much use to the Clan anymore…”

I snorted. “The fight you put up last night clearly says otherwise.” But truth to tell I worried about him.

His good eye lit up. “Aye. There was that.”

I touched his shoulder. “Do not worry, my friend. We still have much need of you and your wisdom. Maybe even more so because we are here.” My gaze drifted over to the building I had pointed out last night. “I think we all just need something to connect us with this new age.” I turned to face him once more. “You merely have to find yours.”

He shrugged. “Maybe. Are you leaving?”

“Yes. I had promised Elisa Maza to meet her. Why don’t you come along?”

“Nah, I think I am better off guarding the castle.” He patted my arm. “Be careful, Lad. Their women wear pants now. I doubt any good can come out from that.”

_<~*.~.*~>_

A soft noise made me start up.

Night had fallen and I’d actually been on the verge of drifting off. Inconceivable.

I scrambled up. Was the shadow over there moving? I squinted at the corner of a huge air-conditioning unit.

“Goliath?” I called out softly and a tall, muscular shape stepped forward and into the dim light.

“Elisa Maza,” his deep voice rumbled.

My lips curled up. He actually came. “Hi. Uh, why are you hiding?”

“Had to make sure you are-” he cut off, and spun as a second figure dropped onto the roof.

It was the old man – was it even right to call him that? But creature seemed even more off – and he bestowed first me than Goliath with a frown.

“I thought you did not want to come,” Goliath stated.

The old one snorted. “Just wanted to ensure you are not ambushed, Rhydderch. Pants and all?”

“Pants?” I repeated.

“Ah, do not ask,” Goliath said with a flash of his fang. It looked suspiciously close to a smile.

“Yeah, and I always thought, I’m paranoid…” I muttered under my breath. But then, considering what they’ve been through… no wonder they had trust issues the size of Texas.

“Quite the contrary. Forewarned is forearmed. Wise precaution is never paranoid, Elisa Maza,” the old man lectured and I could swear I saw Goliath roll his eyes.

“Actually, for friends and family it is just ‘Elisa’, uh…” I paused. “I’m sorry, I don’t know your name yet.”

“Names,” the grizzled man scoffed. “Bah! Names mean nothing.”

“Yeah well, but how would I call you?”

“Gargoyle,” he rumbled.

“Friend,” Goliath offered, but my train of thought had already screeched to a halt.

Gargoyle. Of course! Before I had time to properly process the intel the old gargoyle threw up his hands. “Why must you humans always name everything? To exert power over it? Or is it just because you even have two names?”

“Uhh, actually...” I began then though better of it. “You know what? Never mind. Before. You called Goliath Ryd…” I stumbled upon the unfamiliar word.

He waved his gnarled, four-fingered hand. “Rhydderch. It is just a title, lass. It means leader.”

“I see,” I said, genuinely intrigued. “But how does the rest of you know each other apart in a conversation?”

Goliath shrugged and shifted his stance. “We just do. We are Clan. It’s in our blood. When we speak we simply know.”

I turned to the tall, violet-skinned gargoyle, my finger tapping my chin. “And yet, you actually have a name.”

“Only for the humans,” The old gargoyle quickly threw in.

Goliath nodded. “That is true. Prince Malcom named me when I became Rhydderch of the Clan. He chose this name from a book of his faith, containing stories about his god, his god’s descendants and disciples. This name was in one of them. It was meant as a joke.”

“Well, believe it or not those guys are actually still hanging around…” I trailed off and glanced at Goliath. It felt wrong to press the topic any further with the old gargoyle but… Was this a tiny nod? No guts, no glory. Yeah, yeah, one day my inner Nancy Drew would certainly kill me. “So… wouldn’t this Prince Malcom or the other people at the castle want to address the rest of you as well?”

The old gargoyle snorted in unveiled contempt. “Humans did not associate with us like that.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Oh boy. Glorious times indeed. “Look, this is not to annoy you, but I really want to show you respect. And I’m not going to refer to you as hey you or old man.”

He shrugged. “Why not? Has the sky a name? Or the river?”

The corner of my lip pulled up. Gotcha. “Actually it has. The river is called ‘Hudson’.”

With a defeated sigh he dragged his hand over his good eye. “Alright, lass. You win. Then I'll be Hudson, too.”

I grinned, catching once more a tiny smile on Goliath’s face. Oh yeah. I got the feeling that this was the beginning of a quite interesting acquaintance.

_<~*.~.*~>_

The City, as Elisa Maza had called it, was immense. A sprawling behemoth of stone and steel that stretched out to the horizon in almost every direction. The advancements humans had made while we slept were nothing short of miraculous.

Just a few hours until dawn and my mind was buzzing with an overload of information. Impossible to fathom all of humanity’s mysteries in just one night.

So many people… thousands, no millions! The thought alone was dazzling, let alone their noises. And the myriad of strange scents. The colors and lights that easily turned night into day! My Rookery Sister would have loved this.

Up in the sky however, it all shed off to give way to a strange and cohesive beauty. Only wind rushed in my ears and a fresh, salty scent permeated the air. Below me a sea of lights twinkled as if to compensate for the missing stars above. 

Light pollution, Elisa Maza had explained. I did not want to admit it to her, but privily I was relieved to learn that the stars were still there; merely hidden by this City’s own illumination.

I shifted my wings, surging up on the current to gain height. The human arm around my neck tightened, then relaxed. I carried the human woman in my arms, and despite the funny look from my old mentor, it proved to be the easiest way that enabled us to converse and have her point out directions.

Suddenly we glided over a dark patch that almost looked like… a forest?

“This is Central Park,” Elisa Maza exclaimed over the wind.

Just Elisa, I reminded myself. “A forest?”

“Not exactly, but as close as you can get to nature. Figured to save the best for last. Wanna land and look around?”

“I would be delighted, Elisa.”

I gently swooped lower and Elisa pointed out a secluded spot to land. Then my feet hit soft grass. I looked around in amazement. This place was full of stunning surprises indeed.

I set her down, inhaling the clean scent of nature. The noise of the City had retreated almost completely. In the distance an owl hooted.

“This is…” I trailed off, unsure what to say.

“Didn’t expect that, huh?” She replied with a smile. “Com’ on, let’s walk a bit. I know just the spot.” Suddenly she chuckled.

“What is it?”

“Just realized we’re about the only couple in the park that doesn’t have to worry about getting mugged.”

I wrapped my wings around my chest and fell in step with the peculiar woman. “I begin to believe this age is no less savage than the one I fell asleep in.”

“Ah, don’t be too hard on us. The City may have shown you its ugly face so far, but it has a nice side, too. Promise.”

I snorted. “You mean a gaudy façade intended to hide the menace lurking below the surface?”

A cryptic smile ghosted across her lips. “You will see.”

We walked on in silence.

Then.

“Earlier,” Elisa begun. “You said your name was a joke… So why keep it?”

“There is not much that escapes your perception,” I said with a sigh.

She shrugged. “Sorry, my bad. Occupational hazard. I wouldn’t be a very good detective otherwise.”

“I understand.” I paused, framing my words. Truth was I had never given the topic that much thought. Things just… were the way they had always been between humans and gargoyles. But maybe not in this age. “It is just a name,” I finally said. “Reacting on his mockery would only mean I am willing to accept the insult for what it is. And I refuse to hand any man such power over me. Besides, Prince Malcom is dead a thousand years, so his illustrious opinion holds even less weight than an unwashed-”

Leaves rustled.

Suddenly a sense of alarm spilled down my spine. I whirled around and everything seemed to happen at once.  Something bit into my shoulder. I snarled. Elisa shouted my name and a group of five warriors broke out from the bushes. They were the same that had attacked the Castle!

My eyes flashed white as a cold, controlled rage ate its way through my body. How dared they! Howling a wordless battle cry, I dashed for the nearest warrior. Vertigo hit me in the stomach like a punch from my eldest Rookery Brother. The ground went one way and I the other. What? The human danced out of my reach too easy. I barely caught myself and tried to follow, my movements as heavy as dragging myself through water.

Somewhere a loud crack boomed, a scream and a hot pain that bloomed at my back. Blood thundered in my ears, muffed the noises and tendrils of black rapidly crawled in from the edges of my vision.

NO!

I caught the warrior and punched his face with all my remaining strength, struggling against the inexplicable, yet impending faint. He crumbled. So did I. Weak. So terribly weak. Staring at the motionless human, I clawed into the soft soil, unable to turn. Unable to defend. Unable to protect. Hands grabbed for my wings.

A deep voice chuckled. “Oh, that was easy. And now that we’re done with you, we will hunt down the rest of you abominations.”

I hissed, unable to do anything. Cú Chulainn be damned!

And then I heard another scream. Angry. High-pitched. Female.

Elisa!

A hot stab of fear sparked something deep within and with my roar the terrifying numbness retreated a miniscule step. Then another. I forced out my wings, throwing the warrior off. I turned, finding Elisa wrestling with a third one for one of those shooting weapons, a fourth man out cold at their feet.

Where was the fifth?

In answer another weapon spat thunder. I ducked and pushed forward, grabbing Elisa. Her fragile human body certainly would not withstand those weapons!

Have to shield her.

Protect her.

I pressed her to my chest and ran.

_<~*.~.*~>_

Shit. Shitshitshit.

I gulped for breath in a vain effort to calm my racing heart. Getting shot at. So not cool.

Of all the times being unarmed...

I peeped out from the bridge’s shadows, straining my ears for any sound, but it seemed we had outrun those Mercs. For the moment at least.

I walked over to the gargoyle, who had dropped to his knees, leaning heavily against the wall.

“What… is… wrong… with…” he wheezed. “Weak… so… weak…”

Blood pooled down his back and darkened the loincloth wrapped around his hips. Sure, he had been shot, but that shouldn’t have slowed him down. Much. His words actually, and even though I probably better believed him…

“Let me check on that wound,” I said and shrugged out of my jacket and my sweater to take off my shirt. Uh, better than nothing I suppose.

He grunted a wordless reply. Quickly I got dressed again and carefully touched the skin between his shoulder blades. With a soft hiss, he flinched.

“Hold still, big guy,” I mumbled, gently wiping off the blood with the – thankfully – black cotton. Huh. So the bleeding had stopped already.

“Wow, guess that regen certainly comes in handy,” I added under my breath, watching the closed wound in fascinated admiration. The bullet inside might become trouble though. But maybe not right now.

“It... Has its perks...” The gargoyle replied in a dry rasp.

My eyes scanned over his back. It also meant something else must be causing his state then...

“Look!” I exclaimed and yanked out a small dart, buried into his right shoulder. Tranquilizer. Shit. Probably strong enough to take down a horse. “Seems like they pumped you full of some nasty concoction.”

“Poison?”

“Close enough. Remains the question how they found us…” I tapped my chin, only then realizing my hand was covered in his blood. Uhg. I turned my hand in the light. It was red. Who would have thought…

Goliath groaned and shifted his wings. I looked up and just that moment I spotted something else, right at the base of his wing. “Wait,” I said and carefully reached out. I touched the base of his wing and he gave a jerk. “Stop wiggling, will ya?” I fished for the small round object. “A-ha!” I held up the tracking device like a shiny trophy. “That’s how.”

“More techno-magic?”

“That’s one way to put it. It’s a radio transmitter. It sends out… waves that can be received with the right kind of device and used to determine the transmitters position.” I turned the transmitter around. “Look, there’s a logo on it. Ever seen something like that?”

He shook his head. Yeah. Would have been too easy, right?

“But how did it get on me?”

“Good question.”

And I doubt you gonna like the most obvious answer…

His eyes gained a dangerous glint. “We should destroy it. As quickly as possible.”

“Problem is they will immediately know we found it. And if we just leave it here, they will catch on almost as quickly. Hmm…” I looked up and spotted one of the City’s many stray dogs just some thirty yards ahead. A grin crept into my face. “Let’s have them chase Rover for a while.”

~ * ~

We had to keep moving.

Or even better, get the hell out of the Park and Goliath back to his Clan.

But with the edge of adrenalin worn off and a creature of easily over 350 pounds half dragging himself, half hanging on to me and my meager 120 pounds, it would be mid-morning before we got anywhere. And I had the uneasy feeling that my trick with the transmitter would only fool them for so long. Those Mercs hadn’t been your everyday ragtag rabble but trained commandos, and next time they would certainly bring even more backup.

Dammit, Goliath, what kind of enemies did you guys make already?  

Goliath shifted his weight and looked up to the greying sky. He hissed and tried to quicken his step. And yet even in this weakened state there was something about him. Something solid and unfazed. Like a rock standing amidst the tide.

His rumbled curse dragged me from my musings. “Too late. I'll never make it back before sunrise.”

“Maybe, but those Mercs haven’t caught up with us either. That’s a win.” I strained dragging him on. “C’me on, I’d rather have it stay that way.”

“No, Elisa, you don’t understand,” Goliath groaned. “The sun… I’m helpless during the day. Vulnerable…” Suddenly he let go of my shoulder and stumbled sideways into the thick bushes.

Yeah, great.

“Wha- Goliath, wait!” I called softly, suppressing a curse. I ducked after him. There, at least somewhat hidden from direct sight, he dropped to his knees, breathing hard. Not good.

A clipped call made me duck and carefully spin around. Another voice answered. Then another.

Godfuckingdammit. The Mercs were back.

“We have to move,” I whispered. “Like NOW. You ready?”

No reply.

I turned. And blinked. In Goliath’s stead stood a perfect gray statue. I reached out and touched his arm. Hard. Hard as concrete. Or stone.

“Woa. What the actual…” I mouthed and then another puzzle piece clicked into place. Gargoyle. Of course. Or at the very least what had inspired their mythological equivalent. Suddenly I could make a more than educated guess how those Vikings had managed to kill most of his Clan... and I had no doubts that those Mercs would find a way to end him just as quickly, sledgehammer or not.

The voices drew closer.

I took a slow breath. Sometimes the only way forward was to jump in at the deep end.

But fuck me. That hunk of stone just had to crush my Glock.

~ * ~

Armed with a large coffee, two bagels, a box of donuts and one of the merc’s rifles, I slunk back into the bushes. Okay, so I felt a little guilty about the detour to that coffee stall, but me keeling over from hunger wouldn’t help the case either. I could go without sleep or food for some time, but not without both.

Carefully I shrugged out of my drenched jacket to be hung out in the sparse morning sun and dropped down with my goods next to the crouching statue that was Goliath. Exhausted, I leaned against his side, head falling back.

Shit, I was bone-tired and cold, my clothes were all wet and my shoulder hurt like a motherfucker.

I shook myself and took a gulp of my coffee. It was strong and whipped a few senses back into my foggy mind. A grin crept into my face. So I was maybe also a lil’ bit proud of myself. After all I had taken out two trained commandos with nothing but my bare hands. Well, and the momentum of surprise perhaps. Still, I could have totally done without the unplanned swim in the lake. And the boathouse exploding almost on top of me.

You know, Maza, that’s a damn lot to go through for a piece of lawn sculpture.

I fished for a donut, silently thankful I had at least left that brand new Nokia cell phone, Chavez had forced on all her detectives, at home. My rep as, uh, ungodly equipment destroyer was bad enough already.

I stretched out my legs and checked my watch. 10:30. Only 8 more hours to sunset.

Swell.

_<~*.~.*~>_

Awareness rushed back to me with a jolt.

Danger. There had been danger when the sun caught me and –

“Hey there, big guy,” A husky voice said from my left. I turned my head to find Elisa Maza sitting next to me, lips pulled into a faint smile. “Welcome back amongst the ungrateful living.”

“Elisa…” I exclaimed in bewilderment, shaking off the residues of stone. “You... You stayed?”

She shrugged, studying a flake of stone that had landed on her hand and rubbing it between her fingers. Then she looked up. “Sure. Someone had to guard your sixes while you were… uhh, indisposed.”

“Sixes?”

“Your back. But how do you feel? Are you alright?” she added quickly, a slight hitch in her voice. Was she… actually concerned?

“Of course I’m alright,” I assured. I really should remember to expect the unexpected with her. Then I noticed her puzzled look and I added, “It’s the stone sleep. It rejuvenates us. Heals our injuries.”

Her eyes widened. “Any injury?”

“Most of them. It takes a lot of damage to overpower the stone sleep’s capacities.”

“Now, that sounds damn practical. I could use that too.” The human shifted her shoulder and groaned.

Alarmed I leaned forward. “Are you hurt?”

She lifted her hands. “Nah, I’m good. Just a pulled muscle. It’s not like I’m twenty anymore.” Then she added. “But I see now what you meant by vulnerability.”

I shrugged. “There is always a tradeoff. The irony is that the stone sleep used to be our protection from the wild and its countless predators.”

“And then came men?”

“And then came men,” I agreed. “And all of a sudden we were forced to seek their protection to be guarded from their very peers…” I shook myself. “It does not matter. But, speaking of protection, I need to return to the Castle. The Clan will worry.” I rose to my feet.

“I need to show up for my shift at the station as well.” She sniffed. “Uhh, and maybe have a shower before.”

I reached for her arm to help her up. The sleeve of her red jacket was damp and cold. Quickly, I looked her over. “Elisa. You’re clothes are wet.”

“Mhm, I led those clowns on quite a merry chase. There might have been exploding boathouses and a spectacular getaway by the lake.”

I stared at her, stymied. “And yet you came back… You… you probably saved my life.”

“Aw, no big deal. Trust me, I’ve spent my days a lot worse than sitting in the park next to a statue,” Eliza said lightly, combing back her black hair. Then she chuckled. “Oh well… I guess that makes us even now.” And with it something utterly mischievous entered her gaze. “But you still owe me a gun.”