by Lisa Randall
I noticed one of the humans in the group staring straight ahead. She didn’t seem to notice anything around her, and I wondered if she was blind. Rai took my hand and shook his head. She is still in shock, from all that has happened to them. He said to me.
We have heard much from Red about what has happened recently, the scarred gargoyle began, but we would like to hear it from all of you for ourselves. He turned to us expectantly. I wasn’t sure where to begin, and I had a feeling that telling them everything, including how I was turned into a vampire, was a good idea. I began my story, and Rai picked up his story when necessary, filling in the gaps. When we got to the part about me awakening from my sleep, I could see some gargoyle’s eyes flash, and I wondered what interested them so much. We continued with our story, how we met Selena and Alice, how we came to the vampire city, and what had happened there until Red showed up to save us from the acid rain.
When Rai and I were done talking, everyone was silent, as if they couldn’t believe what we had just said. Then the scarred gargoyle turned to Selena and Alice and asked for their stories, which were the same as ours, but from their point of view, as well as feelings we didn’t know they had about certain things. Selena said she was glad to be away from her pack, how she always felt like she didn’t belong. But with us, she felt like she finally found her place in the world. Alice spoke of her regret with dealing with the vampire Pandora, and how she will never forgive herself for everything she let happen. I felt a little sad that I hadn’t even considered what they were going through. I had been too caught up with learning my new powers, being with Rai, and finding our maker to even think about how much their lives had changed.
When Selena and Alice finished with their story, the scarred gargoyle looked to the humans. All but the girl who was still in shock flinched when he asked them to recount all they had gone through. For a moment, none of them wanted to talk, but then the one in shock began to speak, startling everyone. Her voice was so low, so sad and tired that it was a little hard to hear her at first. Finally, her story began to take shape. She had been born in the vampire city, her parents were from different human settlements that had been raided by the vampires and taken prisoner. After years of abuse and neglect by the vampires, one day a vampire came to the group of humans and had began forcing them to breed with each other, like animals. This went on for years, it seemed the vampires were trying to make their own food supply, as humans were getting harder and harder to find. When she was born, she was sent to live with the other children in a different part of the city. The vampires trained the children to offer their blood in exchange for food and water, even clothes. Many children didn’t last long, and soon it was just her and a few others. They continued to be abused in various ways for years, and had lost all hope of the pain never ending. Then one day we came along and destroyed the city, taking them away from the only home they had ever known. She had been in shock until now because she had never been shown kindness, and it was all new to her. She didn’t know how to act around us, because we were being nothing but nice to them.
When she finished her story, the scarred gargoyle didn’t ask any of the other humans for their story, like he had heard enough from them. I couldn’t blame him, my heart ached for what the humans had gone through, but I was glad they were now safe. The scarred gargoyle looked to me and stared for what seemed like forever. I was trying to figure out what he was looking at when finally he said, It is all true. None of what was said here today was a lie, my friends. Finally, the time has come! He roared to the other gargoyles, looking around the arena like room we were in. He looked to us and explained For centuries, we have been bound to the vampires, our powers taken from us to keep us weak. That is how the gargoyles who you freed have grown so much, their power has returned to them, and they have come home. As you may have guessed, each gargoyle here has a different talent. Each color of their eyes and skin depict what their talent is. For example, Red’s talent is fire, hence the red of his eyes, and his skin is dark, like the night. This helps when we go to war, we blend in with the darkness of the night. This means he is also a good warrior. As for myself, my scars show I am a survivor, and my eye color depicts that I am good at uncovering the truth. I had been too distracted by his scars to even notice before, but his eyes were a beautiful grey, matching his skin color. As for my skin color, it depicts that I am good with blending in to the background, able to survive. This is how I came to be the wisest and oldest of my kind. He explained, looking to each of us. I have seen into your minds as each of you told your story, and I have seen that it is the truth. At this, the gargoyles around us began to shift in place, as if anxious about something.
We had a seer among us, an oracle. She could see the events of what is to come, and our place in those events. Sadly, she perished long ago, and we do not know why, or how, since gargoyles do not get sick, and she wasn’t attacked. One day, she was gone. I believe she knew that she was needed somewhere else, and left us to go there. Before she left, she told us of the prophecies. He said. I gripped Rai’s hand, hoping these prophecies told us more than the ones we have heard from Selena and Alice. Before now, we had no knowledge of what these prophecies mean, and now we think we do. First, I will tell the prophecies, and would like to hear your thoughts on them. The first one is this:
Two vampires, bound together, will fight the evil of the land, and close the gates forever more.
The second is:
Two sick vampires who are not whole, will work together with others that are not whole, to cleanse the land and return the world to its former glory.
The third:
Two vampires who feed on poisonous air, will close the gates once more, and restore the land. Many will fall, but many will live, and the world will light up and all will rejoice as one who is lost will find his way.
Now, your thoughts? He said, looking to me first. “Well, I’m no expert on prophecies, but for the first one, I think it talks of two vampires that will rid the world of some evil and close the gates to something. It could mean two vampires who are soul mates will destroy some kind of evil and make sure it doesn’t come back.” I said. The gargoyle nodded, as if he had come to the same conclusion. “The second one could mean vampire half breeds, working with other half breeds to rid the world of evil and make it as it once was.” Again, he nodded. “The third one, I think, refers to vampires who can feed off something bad in the air, and close these gates that keep being mentioned, and restore the land to something it once was. Many will die in the process, but it will be worth it, since the world will light up, and someone will find their way home.” I guessed. The gargoyle seemed to think I was on the right track, and nodded again. I had a feeling the two vampires being mentioned were Rai and me, but I didn’t really want to believe it. It would mean that we would be facing a great evil, and that people could die in the process. I didn’t want anyone else to die, but it seemed that it would be necessary for the world to return to normal.
We have come to the same conclusion, but there is something else. Something more that you are not saying. Don’t forget, I can see a lie, even if it means just withholding information. He said. I sighed and said “I think that it is referring to Rai and me. We can feed from the radiation in the air, instead of blood. We are both half breeds, and we are also soul mates. So far, since waking up in this world, all I seem to be doing is facing some kind of evil.” I looked to the humans and said “But, it is worth it, if it means saving others.” The gargoyle nodded. “But I don’t know what the gates are in the prophecies. I mean, Viktor is with Baal, who is trying to keep a gate open, but I’m not too sure on the details.”
And? What else? He said expectantly. “Well, it is strange having someone tell prophecies about your future. In the beginning, we wanted to kill our maker, Viktor, for making us who we are today. But now, I kind of want to thank him, since we were able to save so many people because of his actions. And now that we know he isn’t exactly mentally stable and in trouble,
I want to save him. And we know where he is, but not how to get him out.” I said. It felt good to get those feelings out, and Rai squeezed my hand to show he felt the same.
We can help with that. The scarred gargoyle said. Since you have helped us, as well as the humans, we will help you. You are also a part of the prophecies we have known for so long, and would like to see them through. Our oracle was never wrong, and I am interested in what will happen. The best way to do that is to actually be there. He said.
“Thank you…” Rai said, pointing out that the scarred gargoyle never actually introduced himself.
My apologies, for not giving you my name. It is Howlite, but you may call me Elder, everyone else does. He said, smiling.
“Thank you, Elder.” I said, along with Rai. Any help we could get on this adventure was greatly appreciated.
“What are we going to do with the humans?” Rai asked. I had been thinking of them as well. We couldn’t take them with us to rescue Viktor, it was too dangerous. I wondered about leaving them with the gargoyles, but they still looked scared of them.
We can place them in other human communities that we know of. We have been keeping watch over some, but since we were bound by the vampires, we couldn’t really protect them. Now we can. It would be the safest place for them, really. The Elder said.
“That would be great, thank you. I would feel better knowing that they were somewhere safe and taken care of.” I said, yawning. I looked around, wondering how late it had gotten.
It’s late, why don’t you all rest tonight, and tomorrow we will think of our plan of attack. The Elder said, noticing how tired we all were. I hadn’t even realized how long we had all been talking, and I could tell by the light coming through the various entrances in the mountain that it was getting dark. Red took us all back to our own little caves to rest for the night, and I was glad for it. Even though we just stood around talking all day, I was still tired from using so much magic, and I was sure that Alice and Selena were tired too. I tried to get some sleep, we had a busy day ahead of us.
*****
Helen was fast asleep as soon as her head hit the ground next to me. I watched her, thinking how much magic she had pushed herself into using since she woke up from her sleep. It must still be taking its toll on her, she looked worse after every time she used it, but she was also getting stronger. I heard the flapping of wings, followed by footsteps, and looked up to find Selena at the cave entrance. I didn’t move, not wanting to wake Helen, and gave her a nod.
“I came to check up on her, how is she?” She asked.
“I think she just needs more rest, but thank you Selena.” I said. “Take a look with your magic if you want, but I think sleep is all she needs right now.”
She gave a small nod and closed her eyes, sensing Helen’s health through her magic to see for herself. She had a worried look on her face, which quickly disappeared, and as soon as I tried to ask her about it, she said her goodnights and raced out. I hoped she was just over worried about her health, and that nothing else was wrong, and tried to get to sleep.
The next morning, it wasn’t Red who came to pick us up, but the Elder himself.
“Good morning, Elder.” I said, Helen was standing next to me and greeted him as well.
Good morning. It has come to my attention that you must see our healers once again. He said, indicating that we get on so that he can carry us. While we were in the air I noticed that he seemed to be more serious than he was yesterday, and I wondered if Selena had told him something about last night. I hoped it was nothing too serious, and glanced at Helen. She seemed to guess at what was wrong, and didn’t say anything. We landed near the center of the mountain, close to where we all talked yesterday. The Elder led us around some boulders and we came upon a cave that had a wonderful scent coming from it. It took me a moment to realize it was the smell of herbs. It had been so long since I had smelled any, it smelled wonderful and new. The Elder led us into the cave, and down some tunnels, which led to a wide open room containing a large white gargoyle with pink eyes. It looked up at us as we entered, and it smiled and bowed at the Elder.
Rose, these are the two vampires we spoke about. I have some business to attend to, would you please look after them, and have them meet in the assembly room afterwards? The Elder asked, and Rose agreed, giving another nod, not saying a word until he was gone.
Hello, my name is Rose. I have heard about your… conditions. I would like to look you both over, if that is alright? The gargoyle had a feminine voice, which was surprising, since the only feminine thing about it were its pink eyes. I nodded, and looked to Helen, who also nodded. Thank you, please have a seat anywhere, this may take a while. She said, nodding to some stones lined up against the wall like seats. We both sat down and Rose came over, and first looked to me, then Helen and back again. Each time she did so, there was a strange feeling of magic all over me, a tingling that made me itchy. It seemed to make Helen ticklish, as she tried to hold back her laughs.
After a bit, Rose opened her eyes and backed away to look at us both. She sighed, and sat down, reminding me of someone about to give some bad news. It appears that the radiation in the air is indeed making you both sick. Helen, it is effecting you more, since the more you use your magic, the worse it gets; and from what I have heard, you have been using it quite a bit. Rai, it has just started to affect you, so you probably don’t really notice it yet, but it is there.
“Is there any way we can use our magic without being hurt by the radiation?” Helen asked.
Rose shook her head, saying Not that I know of. If you could find a way to not use the energy in the air, and from those around you, like you used to, it may work. But, there are no guarantees on this. It is the first time I am seeing anything like this, and there is not much I can do for you, except try to heal you after the fact. I am sorry.
Nobody said anything for a moment until Helen said “It’s okay, Rose. It isn’t your fault. If we feel any worse, we will let you know, if that is okay?” Rose nodded, and we began to leave, Rose leading the way. I took Helen’s hand and squeezed it, not knowing what else to say. It’s okay Rai. If we have to use magic, it makes us sick, and if we don’t use it, people may get hurt. I don’t really see any option here. If given the choice, I would still use my magic, especially if it meant saving someone. I nodded and told her I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels that way. Doesn’t stop me from worrying, though. We made our way out of the tunnels and Rose was outside waiting for us. We left for the assembly room, where we were yesterday, and found everyone waiting for us. As we landed, the humans we had saved came up to us and thanked us for saving them. They were all going their separate ways, none of them going to the same group. I guessed it was easier for them to not see each other, each being the reminder of what they had endured to the other. Soon, all of the humans were flying away in different directions, each looking happy to be going anywhere else where there were humans. I hoped that they would live a happy life and turned back to Helen and the others, ready to get our plan under way.
A gargoyle came up to us saying, First things first, you are going to need some weapons. He was a massive gargoyle, covered in muscle, his eyes were a shade of blue that reminded me of the sky, and his skin was pitch black, like soot, and he was also covered in scars similar to the Elder’s. My name is Rex and I’m a sort of blacksmith. I can make weapons that can only be used by the one they are made for, and can imbue magic in them as well.
“How can you possibly do that?” Alice asked, intrigued.
I use magic to see into someone’s soul, where I can see what weapon will work best for them, and which weapon and magic they have an affinity for. Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt at all, and it doesn’t take long for me to make them. It has been a while since my services were needed, and I am eager to get started, if you don’t mind? Rex asked, looking to Alice first. I was interested in what weapons we would be needing for our task of rescuing Viktor and closing the gates. Ali
ce nodded, also looking excited at the idea of a weapon just for her. Rex’s eyes glowed brightly as they looked into Alice’s and it only lasted about a minute before he blinked and looked away, a smile on his face. He did this for each of us, and when he was done, he had a huge smile on his face.
I will be back tomorrow with your weapons. I cannot wait to get started! He said excitedly. I kind of wanted to see how he made the weapons, but thought against asking. It was probably some kind of gargoyle secret and I didn’t want to get in their way or offend them, especially if they were doing so much to help us.
We need to get started. First, we need to know how well versed in magic all of you are, as well as hand to hand fighting, in case it comes down to it. The Elder said. Then, we can start to make plans. We know where Viktor is at, and Baal is most likely keeping the gates close to him, since he is working on them. We just need to figure out a way to close them and rescue Viktor, as well as any others we can. From what you told us, there are also witches being kept near where Viktor is. We need to be ready to fight them if they are on Baal’s side, and also be ready to fight demons to rescue them if they are not. We all nodded in agreement, and for the rest of the day the Elder, with a few other gargoyles worked with each of us to learn our strengths and weaknesses. Tomorrow we would begin honing our skills and working with our new weapons.
It was getting dark before we knew it, and we all headed back to our little caves to try and get some sleep.
When we were finally alone, Helen and I talked about all that had happened during the day, and how we felt about it. I was glad to find out that we both felt the same about everything that had happened so far, and I could feel our soul bond strengthening every day. It was pretty strong to begin with, I had thought. But now, as it got stronger and we grew closer to each other, I was sometimes able to feel her moods about things, when they were strong enough.