The Attic

by Rachel Xu

  “O-o-O-okay, Master, but when they're picking their teeth with her bones, don't say I didn't warn you.”

  After shaking his head, the bird began to whistle a slow, haunting tune—the one from Lily's dream. Her pulse quickened again.

  The mournful strains seemed to have a substance to them, as though a river of music was filling the room and seeping through the walls out into the surrounding trees.

  Ian unbolted and opened the front door. “Wait for me here, Lily,” he said over his shoulder. “And whatever happens, do not leave the tree—stay out of sight—Got it?”

  She nodded—for what else could she do?—and he took the bird outside, shutting the door behind them.

  Lily ascended the ladder to the second floor. She climbed up onto the cot, sitting on her knees, and looked out through the octagonal window.

  Suffused by the moonlight, Ian was standing down below with the bird perched on his shoulder.

  Unable to hear anything, she examined the window for a latch and realized it could be pushed open at the bottom. It swung open. Bogart continued to sing his haunting tune—a howl joining it out of sight down the pathway that lead to the backyard.

  Goosebumps trickled down her arms like invisible spiders.

  Was it a wolf?

  A dry crunch sounded—like a skeleton cracking its knuckles—and the gargoyle at the foot of the path sprang to life, dropping the orb and unfolding its head and limbs.

  Her heart stopped.

  The smooth-skinned creature stretched to full height, about six feet tall, and turned to face Ian. It had broad gorilla shoulders, a protruding spine and a tusked maw. Long muscular forearms and hands hung nearly to the ground, tipped with clawed fingers.

  Had Ian knocked her out when he came down the ladder a few minutes ago? Was she draped in the wingback chair blissfully unaware of her true predicament?

  She pinched herself repeatedly and painfully as Bogart flew away to a nearby tree and perched on a low branch.

  The beast looked up at the window, spotting her—its beady eyes wild with hunger.

  She froze.

  With a screech of rage it lunged past Ian toward the tree and dug its claws into the elaborate carvings on the side—climbing up to her at a rapid pace.

  Lily screamed and the tusked beast fell to the ground.

  Chapter 20

  The beast shrieked as it hit the ground belly first.

  Ian was up on its back, grasping it by the spinal ridge. Had he pulled the creature down somehow?

  Lily strained to see through the open window, barely believing her eyes.

  The gargoyle shook its head violently but Ian held on tight, pinching his knees into the beast's sides. In one deft movement, he let go of the spine and gripped its neck in a strangle hold.

  Eyes wide with fury, the creature jerked its head backward; trying to thwack him.

  “Enough,” Ian shouted, striking the beast on the snout with a closed fist.

  The beast grew so still Lily thought it had turned to marble again. But then it lowered its body to ground submissively, and Ian climbed off.

  “I'm sorry, Master,” it keened in a deep, sandpaper voice. “I didn't realize you were here.” He lowered his tusked maw. “I lost control of myself. It won't happen again.”

  Ian stood over the creature, hands on his hips. “It better not. Because next time I won't be so forgiving. You are not to attack a human—ever.”

  From the tree branch where he sat perched, Bogart was singing his heart out again.

  Another orb dropped to the ground and the next statue stretched and yawned, stepping down off its pedestal. She couldn't see down the trail—it was too dark—but she supposed they were all doing the same. Four creatures now gathered below the tree, zoning in on her open window: some with surprise and curiosity, others with hungry intent. How could they even see her from that distance?

  If she hadn't so firmly believed this to be a dream, she might have been hyperventilating by now; nevertheless, her pulse drummed in her ears and her breathing was shallow.

  One creature, with the toned body of a man's, approached Ian slowly, a cautious look on his face. He wore a black loincloth and his body was covered with short charcoal-gray hair; or at least, it appeared gray in the moonlight. Atop a thick neck, he had a long canine snout rimmed with serrated teeth. Furry dog ears pointed backward and scruffy brows hung part way over his eyes. He resembled the Egyptian Anubis.

  Ian crossed his arms over his chest and watched as the Anubis peered up at Lily's window, meeting her gaze with shiny, shrewd irises. She held her breath. Would he lunge up the tree as the other had?

  The dog-man's lips curled back from crocodile teeth as he let out an abrasive snarl. She swallowed down a wave of nausea and surprised herself by growling back at him. What on earth was she thinking? The look in his eyes became so savage she thought he'd surely go for her throat.

  Then, just as quickly as it had come, the savage look faded and his features softened.

  “Well, played, my dear,” he said in a loud, warm voice; grinning like a jackel. “Name's Varkis and I'm pleased to meet you . . . human.”

  She pinched herself again. Oh, let this be a dream.

  “I'm—uh, pleased to meet you too,” she said through the open window, her hands on the rim.

  The gargoyles, six of them, spoke amongst themselves in hushed tones and eyed her window with looks of unease. It was as if they were afraid of her; though maybe not specifically of her but of Ian, who stood between them and the tree with his strong arms folded over his chest.

  Varkis scratched the tip of one ear with a long claw. “Ian,” he said, “you must introduce us to this remarkable female human of yours and explain why you've allowed her to know of our existence.”

  “She's far more remarkable than you realize. Her name is Kline. Lily Kline.”

  The gargoyles whispered comments to each other in response to this. She couldn't make out the words. From the low evergreen boughs to the left of Ian, a creature like a Komodo dragon entered the clearing. Ian turned toward it, without unfolding his arms, and the creature paused; narrowing its red-eyed gaze and licking its chops.

  “Do not come any closer,” Ian warned in a low voice.

  The beast inched closer as a rumbling growl rose in its breast. “You said we could eat anything non-magical in the forest,” it snarled in a deep, grating tone. “We have left your humans alone within the mansion and grounds, as you requested, and have stayed within the gates—but now you've brought a tender morsel into our very domain—and expect us to walk away? I don't think so.”

  “Get back. Remember who saved you from Alvernia. I could have left you there to die.”

  “As if earth is any better. We are prisoners here,” the lizard-like beast growled. “Forced to be statues by day and then to abide by all your silly rules at night. I'm sick of it!” He lowered his voice to a savage undertone: “I was better off serving Morack.”

  The creature took another step toward Ian. Though it resembled a Komodo, it had jade scales instead of tough gray skin. There were no visible ears on the sides of its head; just a black hole behind each serpentine eye. A forked tongue flicked in and out of its mouth.

  In a sudden blur of motion, something lunged out of the forest behind the scaly beast. There was a wall of red and blood splattered across Ian's chest. Gasps of shock erupted from the cluster of gargoyles below as the source of blood became clear.

  In front of Ian stood a black unicorn, the reptilian gargoyle impaled on its horn; wriggling and squirming in anguish.

  With a powerful shake of its head, the unicorn's horn sliced through the lizard, splitting it in two, and the halves fell to the ground in a thudding splash of entrails.

  In the wake of the slaughter, the unicorn took four regal steps over the body and peered up at Lily's window with scarlet eyes; its body smoking like an extinguished fire. Its horn was a double-edged sword, not
the fairytale spiral she might have expected, and its lipless mouth stretched from ear-to-ear—jagged teeth protruding out over its jaw and cheekbones.

  There was no flesh on its face.

  The forest was deathly silent. Strangely, she was suddenly unafraid, and as the scarlet eyes bore into her own, she sensed only peace. For the moment all that existed in the world was the unicorn and herself—everything else faded to a mist and the distance between them vanished.

  They stood face to face in a swirling cloud of light.

  “Lily—” he said in a voice of thunder, his mouth remaining shut as he spoke. She realized his voice was inside her head. “Long have I awaited your arrival. You will do great things for Alvernia. Through you, we shall finally be rid of Morack. We shall once again be free to roam our land.”

  “I am only a human,” she said, “and a girl.” Her voice was clear and solid, but she knew she hadn't spoken the words out loud. “What can I do?”

  The unicorn's harsh bony features transformed to ivory horseflesh and he dipped down, nuzzling her cheek with a velvet snout. “Do not doubt yourself, my lady. Self-doubt is the first step to failure.”

  “It was you who rescued me, wasn't it. In the forest, when that vile man attacked me. Can't you see I'm of no help to anyone?”

  “Hush. Remember who you are. You are Serena's heir to the throne. If the others hear you speak of failure or weakness, they will lose all hope.”

  “But this is too big of a burden for me to carry!”

  “You do not have to carry it alone. We will all be with you—fighting for our freedom. Great power lies within you, Lily—awaiting your command. You will find it.”

  “What if I can't?”

  He snorted and bared his grizzly shark teeth. “You had better or we shall all die. Now—Stop feeling sorry for yourself. I have an important message for you. The time will come when you'll be forced to make a terrible decision. And when that time comes, remember this—the value of one life must not outweigh the value of many lives. Now: Let us tarry no longer. The others are waiting.”

  The light around them vanished and the moonlit forest came back into sharp focus. She was once again peering down through the round window. Ian stared up at her with a questioning look. The gargoyles were watching with narrowed eyes and hackles up.

  “Lily,” he said, “what happened? We were all in a trance.”

  Before she could answer, the unicorn touched its snout to the ground and nearby undergrowth quivered. As though a giant magnet attracted it, the surrounding Autumn leaves whipped through the air and swirled about the unicorn, blocking his form from their view.

  She cried out in alarm, digging her fingernails into the window trim.

  “It's okay,” Ian shouted up at her, “unicorns camouflage themselves to match the environment they're in. They only stay in their true form during battle.”

  The small cyclone dispersed as quickly as it had come and the unicorn emerged; twisted gray vines constituting his mane and tail, and bark and dried leaves clothing his sinewy body. His eyes were a lustrous cinnamon.

  He bowed from the neck to Lily. “My name is Callamous and I am here to serve you, your highness.”

  The gargoyles gaped up at her and whispered amongst themselves as though astonished. One by one they bowed before her, all except Bogart, who scowled audibly from his nearby branch. Heat crept up her neck and into her cheeks, and she shrunk back from the window.

  For a long moment no one spoke until finally Ian broke the silence.

  “So, it was you who healed her in the forest,” he said to Callamous. “And gave her temporary night vision.”

  A slight nod.

  “Well, it must be undeniably true then,” he said. “She is a descendant of Serena.”

  Another nod.

  Ian put his hands on his hips and lowered his voice. She strained to hear.

  “Morack's assassin is still here,” he said. “He's gone after Lily twice now. He might even be laying in wait as we speak.” A pause. “He came after us in the mansion but we escaped through an underground tunnel. I suspect he doesn't want to be seen by Hannah, Chris, or any other human, and is consequently holding back for the time being. It's not like him to be so reserved.”

  “He will not risk a direct attack while our numbers are so great,” the unicorn said. “For now, the girl will be safe—as long as she is never left alone and unguarded. That being said, his powers are also greatly dampened here on earth, as you know. Yet—you must find a way to destroy him. Then we can figure out what to do about Morack.”

  “She's nothing but a pathetic little wimp,” Bogart squawked. “You don't honestly think she's a better ruler than Morack?”

  Barely had the words left his mouth when Varkis leaped into the air and snatched the bird from the tree, flinging it high into the air. The bird flipped and turned, caught its bearings, and flew off. “I've wanted to do that for so long,” he said, laughing. The other gargoyles nodded and cackled in fiendish agreement.

  “Varkis,” Ian shouted in exasperation. “You can't just slap around everyone who merely irritates you—”

  “—He is still loyal to Morack,” Callamous interjected solemnly, “we can't abide by that.”

  Ian ran his hands through his hair. “I'd always hoped he would change . . . ” He stepped up to the half-circle of gargoyles. “I need one of you to do me a favor.” He hesitated. “Do I have any volunteers?”

  The tusked gargoyle who had been the first to come to life, stepped forward and knelt to one leg. “I will do it, Master. I owe you for my behavior earlier.”

  Ian nodded. “Go to the mansion and let the others know what is going on. But first, you must discreetly make sure that my staff has obeyed my orders and cleared out. If they haven't left yet, you must keep well out of sight—as usual. Got it? Report back to me if this is the case.”

  The beast lowered his tusked maw in a head bow and rose to his full height. He then headed down the trail and disappeared from Lily's line of sight.

  Ian glanced up at Lily's window, as if to make certain she was still there, and then faced the remaining creatures. “Varkis is going to divide you into two groups,” he explained in a loud and commanding voice. “One group will take the first watch and spread into the nearby forest to keep guard. No one is to enter this tree unless I give direct permission. The other group can take a couple of hours to hunt for food. You know the rules. At four, you are to trade places. Understood?”

  The gargoyles crowded around Varkis, and Lily moved away from the window. She stood up from the bed on wobbly legs and sat back down again.

  Below, the front door opened and closed with a soft thump. She tensed and considered taking the ladder to the third floor.

  “Lily?”

  Relief flooded through her.

  “I'll be right down,” she said.

  She descended the ladder.

  Ian was sitting on the wingback, hands clasped over his knees as he hunched forward. He looked up and gave her a half-hearted smile.

  She fidgeted and put her hands on her hips to still them.

  “I'm so sorry about all this,” he said, breaking eye contact and letting out a ragged sigh. “It's such a mess.”

  She decided not to say much in response.

  “I should have stopped Auguste long ago,” he said.

  “Stopped him how? It's not like you could have killed him or locked him up somewhere.” Or maybe he had killed Auguste in the end. Nothing could surprise her now.

  “I was so naïve,” he said, shaking his head. “I unknowingly helped him do many horrible things.” His voice was heavy with what seemed to be regret.

  “How are you going to stop the killer?” she asked.

  He stood up and paced back and forth. “I haven't even come close to defeating him before.” He met her eyes briefly. “He's the one who broke my nose, it wasn't an accident . . . ”

  Her breath caug
ht in her throat. “Why didn't he kill you?”

  “I guess he's playing a game. Probably has some perverted plan for my demise.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared her down with those witch-black eyes. “I have information he needs. But for now, he seems preoccupied with you.” He scowled, shook his head. “Why didn't you just leave when I told you to?”

  She ignored that. “What information do you have that he needs?”

  “It's safer if you don't know.”

  “Ian . . . ” She paused thoughtfully. “If you're from this alternate world like the others, why don't you turn into a statue before sunrise too?”

  He flicked her a glance. “I told you before, dark magic has no effect on me.” His voice was even, level; as though controlling his tone. “Nor on the assassin.”

  “So, both of you are immune to dark magic. Why?”

  He waved his hand dismissively. “Not important.” Moving in front of her, he crossed his arms over his chest and stood with a wide stance, his head nearly grazing the lantern-covered ceiling. “What's most important right now is figuring out how to defeat him.”

  A loud knock sounded on the door.

  “Let me in. It's Varkis.”

  Ian looked through the peephole and unbolted the door. He opened it wide and the Anubis ducked down to fit through, and then stood bent at the shoulders—flashing Lily a wolf-like grin.

  He squeezed into the wingback, which groaned beneath his weight. He smelled like sweat and swamp water.

  She realized she was giving him a wide-eyed look.

  “Aw, come on now,” he said in a gruff baritone, “don't be scared, lass. I won't bite.”

  “Leave her be,” Ian snapped, “she's already freaked out enough as is.”

  “I am not!”

  Ian raised an eyebrow and Varkis let out a throaty laugh.

  “I'm not some weak and helpless female,” she said, flushing. “Contrary to popular opinion.”

  “Have a seat, Ian,” Varkis said, pointing at a squat stool.

  “I'm fine standing, thank you very much.”

  “Suit yourself,” he said with a shrug. “Though in my opinion, you ought to have more chairs in this place.” He looked around. “It's so cramped in here though, like an elf hut.”