Story nine of The Clan SteelClaw Chronicles: Season Two

Convergence

By:Vashkoda

contributions and edits by Ed
artwork by Vashkoda and Malachi (pending)

Previously in the Clan SteelClaw Chronicles…

"What did you do to Thaylog!" Vashkoda shouted.  'My son'?   Could this really be Thaylog's father?

"You can't do this!" Ed cried, desperately searching for another way out.  "You'll never get away with it!"

"And who would dispute my claim?  His protégée?  His clan?   I'll be rid of the rest of them soon enough, but at least I know I won't have to worry about you two."

*     *     *

"This apartment belongs to a friend of mine,” Ed explained. “I promised to water the plants while he's away. So if you could put a blanket over you while you sleep I’d be grateful; I don’t really want to spend the next few days vacuuming up your dead skin.”  Ed laid a tarpaulin from the kitchen cupboard on the floor.   “I wonder what happened to Mr. Legacy?”

The gargoyle frowned.  “I am almost certain that Thailog, his father, knows the truth...but I fear that he won't be any easier to find--not unless he comes after us himself.  Yet he probably believes he succeeded in killing us."

-- FRAGILE ALLIANCES

PROLOGUE

542 A.D.

A cold breeze swept through the winter forest, causing the barren branches to shiver and sway. Despite her fur and the thick skin that protected her kind from the elements, Vashkoda felt the wind’s sharp bite, and nestled closer against the gargoyle beside her. Both lay resting on the forest floor, gazing at the starlit sky that the wind had managed to clear. They were alone save for the bats, whose forms flickered briefly against the rising orange moon.

Ipsis noticed Vashkoda discomfort, and hesitated only a moment before wrapping his arm around her waist to draw her closer. She smiled up at him fondly. Reassured, he smiled in return and shifted position so that one of his feathered wings could cover them both.

Vash rested her head against his chest, rubbing her cheek against his soft fur and breathing in the strong musky scent. She lay entranced as she listened to the powerful beating of his heart. She could hardly believe that the events of the past few days had really happened, yet here she was, finally in the arms of the one she had loved almost all of her life. When he confessed having felt the same way for her, they were both overwhelmed with emotion. Slowly, they explored the significance of those feelings. Carefully, for both feared that it might all be a dream, and that one false step could shatter it.

"All those years we’ve spent together on the Island, without knowing how the other felt.… I’m saddened by how much time we’ve lost," mourned Vashkoda.

"No," Ipsis assured her, wiping the tears that began forming in her eyes. "We did what was right. Our first priority was to protect the Grail. If we had shared our feelings then, we would have been too concerned with each other’s safety. Our priorities would have changed, and we might have placed the Grail in danger."

"But now Arthur has the Cup, and he is protected by its power. Now we are free," spoke Vash, but her voice made it sound more like a question than a fact.

Ipsis released a long sigh and shook his head. "We must still protect it…and Arthur. At least until Mordred is defeated and no more threats remain against the King. Remember, he has made us his knights."

Vashkoda fingered the strange black hood that Merlin had given them, remembering his request that they watch over Arthur. She had not quite understood the purpose of the ceremony that followed, or what it meant to be a knight. Gargoyles were protectors by nature—they did not need a title to make it so.

"Then if danger still remains…must we deny our love once more?"

Ipsis’s body trembled, and Vashkoda knew that it had nothing to do with the wind.

"Never again," he whispered, and held her even tighter than before.

"Never again."

* * *

The following day, Arthur and Mordred were both dead, killed by each other’s hand. The Grail had failed, or at least so it seemed, until Merlin discovered Sir Percival missing and pieced together that he had been the one to receive the Grail’s gift of immortality, and not Arthur. The wizard immediately charged the gargoyles with finding the treacherous knight and bringing him back to Camelot. Ashamed of their failure to protect Arthur, the gargoyles were all too willing to oblige. Notices were posted and searches organized throughout the land, but Percival could not be found.

Merlin reasoned that Percival, being immortal, might stay in hiding until he thought all of his enemies were dead. Therefore, he summoned the Island once more, and told the gargoyles that they would now use its powers to locate Percival in the future, when he might consider himself safe and risk exposure. But not all would stay on the Island. There were other powerful Objects that Percival might seek which needed gargoyle protection. Caco, Bryce and Ipsis were chosen to go. The parting was as difficult for Vashkoda and Ipsis and it was for Bryce and her mate, Saur.

But at least Bryce will have Saur’s child, thought Vash as she watched her egg-ladened sister with a mixture of jealousy and regret. Disaster had struck too soon--she and Ipsis had never had the opportunity to mate. And now it was too late. All she had left of him was a small pearl bracelet that he had made her as a gift.

Only the bracelet…and the memory of a happiness that she would never feel again.

2009 A.D.

The sun blazed unmercifully over a land of endless sand and dust. Her skin burned as drops of perspiration evaporated in the dry heat. There was no water or shade in sight, nor any sign of life or vegetation. Her heart was heavy with sadness, loneliness, and fear, and its weight seemed to drag her even deeper into the sand.

A shadow fell upon her, and when she looked up she saw that she stood before a large triangular structure made of stone. A pyramid, she realized suddenly, and felt that it was significant somehow, but couldn’t remember why.

A glowing eye appeared at its apex, its fierce gaze pinning her where she stood. Emotions swelled up inside her—guilt, foreboding, anger—yet underneath it all was a cool, firm resolve, a sense of knowing what needed to be done and accepting it despite her own misgivings. The eye seemed satisfied and withdrew into the stone, and as it did so, a passage opened up for her.

With a single step, she was already inside the pyramid. She shielded her eyes from a light that was ten times brighter than the sun’s fierce rays, yet she noted with surprise that the light did not blind her. The sunlight was being magnified and projected by a dozen giant mirrors into a pool of deep blue liquid at the center of the chamber.

A figure stood in the pool, its form sharply outlined against the bright golden light. Its arms opened to greet her, and it called to her in a soothing voice.

"Vashkoda…my heart…."

Then she remembered who and what she was, and wondered how she had come there, and how she could be awake during the day to see the sun. And…could it be?

"Ipsis?" she called to him, not daring to hope that it might be true.

The blue liquid came alive, swirling around his body and drawing him in. Vashkoda rushed to help him, but the light now formed a barrier that she could not cross. She screamed in rage and clawed at the light, but it showed no sign of weakening.

Suddenly, she was the one in the pool, and struggled as it wrapped itself around her legs and pulled her down. A shadowy form stood where she had been, but it made no move to help. It watched in passive interest as she was pulled beneath the surface, fighting for a last breath of air. In the moments before she drowned, she thought she heard its laughter, and then the light that had filled the chamber was extinguished.

Once awake, Vashkoda urgently pushed herself free of her stone skin, taking deep breaths of air and trying to reassure herself that she was not underwater. Yet something was still wrapped around her, making it hard to breathe. She clawed away at it, and once free, suddenly realized that her surroundings were unfamiliar.

The panic that she had felt from the dream began to rise up again.  She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and instantly reacted--leaping out of the way and bracing herself for an attack.

"Hey-hey! It’s just me!"

The gargoyle looked around, and saw the human, Ed, holding a broom defensively out in front of him.  As the memories of the previous night began to surface, Vash sighed and forced herself to relax.

"I apologize.  I didn't know where I was, and as I said to you this morning, I'm not accustomed to sleeping indoors."

"Well I guess I’m, er, not exactly a morning person either," the reporter replied, though he looked a bit shaken himself. "Maybe we should put one of those post-it notes in front of you," he mused, picking up the sheet he had draped over her and using the broom to gather up the stone fragments she had shed upon awakening.   Vashkoda stooped down to help him.

"So...uh...did you sleep well?" he asked.

"No," she replied, not elaborating further.

"Oh."

After a pause, he added, "I have nightmares too, after all that sky-scraper falling, past-seeing, mind-melding Oni malarkey." He watched to see the response.   Vash said nothing as she finished collecting stray pieces of her stone skin.

After all, how could she explain to him that it might not have been just an ordinary dream?  When she been on the Island, its magic allowed her and the other Illuminati gargoyles to sense events that were happening in the outside world through Dreaming. Because the Island traveled through time as well as space, sometimes they had visions of things to come, or of civilizations long past. As expected, these Dreams had stopped once she had left the Island. But she could not ignore the possibility that this dream had been one of that variety. Yet if it truly had been a foretelling of some kind, there was really nothing she could do to avoid her fate.

But why would she be shown her death if it was unavoidable? What purpose would such a vision serve?

…unless it hadn’t been a foretelling. It was highly unlikely, and yet she had heard of such a thing as a Sending—a warning magically sent by another person in the form of a dream. But those messages were supposed to be clear, whereas this Sending, if it really had been one, made little sense to her.

The pyramid was an obvious symbol of the Illuminati, as was Merlin’s Eye at its apex. Was this then a message from Merlin? Or had Goldenhart found a way to communicate with her? What concerned her most was seeing Ipsis in the pool. Was he in trouble? Was she supposed to rescue him?

She had often spoken to Golden of her plans to go searching for Ipsis after their Quest was completed. But her sister gently pointed out that they did not know where to begin looking for him, and that Merlin could have sent him to any point in time.

Vashkoda wondered if he might have been sent to the time where she was now stranded, though it seemed too much to hope for.  And yet why else would she have been given the Sending, if not to find him?

"Vash?" asked Ed, looking at her worriedly.  "Are you ok?"  

The gargoyle shook her head, clearing her thoughts.  "I am fine.   Although..."  she paused for a moment, examining him carefully.   "Perhaps there is something that you could do for me." 

"Oh...well...yeah, sure.  I mean I'll try, anyway.  It’s my job.  I guess."

Vash paused, wondering how to word her request. She decided it was best to come right to the point.

"What do you know about pyramids?"

The human stared at her, not quite certain she was being serious. When Vash said nothing more, he sighed and dropped into a chair.

"Well…what do you want to know? I’m no expert; I probably only know as much as your average person-" he glanced at her and blushed, "-which you aren't, obviously.  Ok, so which do you mean—those in Egypt, or the group in Latin America?"

Vash tried to remember her dream. "There was sand everywhere-"

"Egypt it is," Ed said as he swiveled in his chair to face the computer.   After a few moments of typing, he motioned her toward the screen.

"There, are these what you're looking for?" he asked, pointing at an image of three pyramids and a giant statue, badly worn with age. Although they all looked similar, she had the feeling that it was the largest pyramid that she had seen in her dream. Her eyes kept straying to the statue, and she finally asked Ed what it was.

"The Sphinx," he said simply. "No one knows when it was built, but they figure it was around the same time as the pyramids."

"The Sphinx…." Vash repeated. Suddenly she had another memory, of Ipsis telling her about his old clan. They had come from a place called Greece, where the humans called them sphinxes. Could this be a sign that....

"I need to go to Egypt tonight," she declared suddenly. Ed looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Well of all the random requests I expected to hear – that wasn’t one of them. Vash, I hate to point out the obvious, but you're a gargoyle.  You can’t just take a plane there; you’ll be spotted for sure, and then I’ll be hearing on the news about the gargoyle who tried to sneak on board and was shot and then dissected by creepy government scientists.…"

Vashkoda looked down at her magical hood of shadows, and understanding dawned on the human's face.  Yet the hood was a gift from Merlin; a symbol of her order....   Did she still have the right to use it?  

When she had been trapped in Thaylog's office, the belief that she was about to die allowed her to speak the rite that severed her ties to the Illuminati.  The rite was normally only spoken when an ailing member needed a younger gargoyle to take his or her place.  Vashkoda had inherited her position and rune in such a fashion.  Of course, Golden had deactivated her rune when she had left Vash behind in the 21st century, forced to flee with the Island to hide from Duval.  Yet Vash had felt that her oaths still held, and that it was still her duty to seek out Duval and the Grail.

But after speaking the rite, the break was unequivocally complete.  She was no longer an Illuminatus.

With great care, Vashkoda unfastened the hood from her shoulders and folded it onto the table.  Ed watched her in wide-eyed astonishment.

"What are you doing?  Aren't you going to need that?"

"I can hide in the baggage compartment," she answered, her voice surprisingly calm despite the significance of what she had just done.  "Just tell me which airline and which flight will take me there."  

As an afterthought, she reached over to her belt and brought out a pouch, dropping it beside the hood.  "Take care of this for me.  If I don't come back, give it to the clan.  They can decide what to do with it."

Although she had made a deal with Phoenix to watch over his daughter, she was not oath-bound to do so. Llewelyn was strong and among friends, and so Vash didn’t feel that she was abandoning her. She thought it best if the clan didn’t know her plans. She didn’t know what kind of trouble Ipsis was in, and didn’t want the others to be dragged into it. Besides, she hadn’t seen them with her in the Sending. This was a job for her alone, and if it meant her death, so be it.

Ed looked at her worriedly.  "I don't like this 'if I don't come back', business.  I don't suppose there's any way I can talk you out of it?"  Vash watched stone-faced, waiting for him to give her the information she needed.

"Guess not," he sighed, returning to the keyboard.

* * *

That is why I need someone else to look after them, and act as their link to the human world.  They need someone to protect them from it, and connect them with it.  As you've probably surmised, I have chosen you for the task.  It won’t be easy.  They may not like the idea, and some have reason to hate humans. Some may be a little too naïve-

"Wow, Mr. Legacy, do you really think so?"

Ed was playing back the video tape Thaylog had given him, hoping for some insight on what he should be doing next.  Unfortunately, his instructions had been rather vague, and he still hesitated to involve himself with the gargoyles any more than he had to.

And what was he supposed to do about Vashkoda?  Surely he wasn't expected to go after her.  It wasn't as if there was any way he could stop her once she'd made up her mind.  And what about the rest of the clan?  How exactly was he supposed to help them?

Ed looked over his shoulder and stared a long moment at the envelope resting on the kitchen table.  In it he had found a check for ten thousand dollars, with a letter stating he would receive a similar sum every month for an unspecified duration.  

"It's official, Ed m'boy.  You've stepped into the Twilight Zone."

He collapsed onto the sofa and covered his face with a pillow.  He needed to escape this madness.  To make matters worse, those troubling hallucinations were becoming more and more frequent.  At first they were only dreams, but lately he'd been having them during the day, when he was fully alert and awake.  They always centered on a figure in red in a futuristic-looking place.  Occasionally he saw gargoyles, but there were other creatures there that he'd never seen before.

Suddenly Ed heard a strange noise, followed by a rapid stream of speech in some foreign tongue.  Ed buried his head even further into the pillow, trying to block out the sound.

"No more!  Leave me alone!"

The sounds stopped.  After a moment, he dared to raise himself up off the sofa and take a peek from behind the pillow.  All he saw was the familiar old apartment.  

Ed breathed a sigh of relief.  But just as he was about to plop back down on the cushions, he spotted the orb that Vashkoda had left behind.  It was glowing.

He got up and approached it cautiously, and almost jumped when he heard the voice again.

"Vashkoda, are you there?  The Island has reached space-time coordinates close enough for communication with Goldenhart's orb."  After a moment, Ed heard it mumble, "Are you sure this thing is working?"

A different voice answered, "It should be.  Maybe you should try a different language."

"Um...hello?" Ed called out hesitantly, feeling somewhat foolish for talking into a glowing ball.

"I thought Vashkoda was female," mumbled the second voice.   "Ow!" it cried suddenly, as if the person had just been poked.

"Er, Vashkoda isn't here at the moment.  I'm a friend of hers.  Maybe I could...take a message?" Ed offered.

"Listen, we don't have much time--the Island may take off again at any moment.   Tell her that we were able to intercept the Sending about the Pyramid-"

"Oh good, so maybe you can tell me what that was all about?" said Ed, frustrated with Vash for having left him in the dark on the matter.  "She's already gone to Egypt."

There was more muttering on the other end.  "Then she is in danger," the voice said finally. "The Sending appeared to be sent by Merlin-"

"The Sending was sent? Come again?"

"We have confirmed that it was not."

"You just said it was-"

"Our records also show that a dark cult has been steadily gaining power in Egypt over the last several years.  They may be the ones who sent the message, in the hopes of luring our kind into a trap."

Ed began to have that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.  The feeling that things were about to take a turn for the worse, and that his life was being dictated by matters completely out of his control. 

"Here is what you must do...."

*     *     *

She crept through the passageway on her hands and knees, stirring thick piles of dust as she passed. Occasionally she’d spot a flicker of light out of the corner of her eye, but when she shifted her gaze to study it, there would be nothing there. Vashkoda pushed her fears and doubts aside and continued her descent into the darkness. If she was to discover what had drawn her here, she had no other choice.

The night had started out well enough. When she had awakened, she found herself inside a storage area of the Giza museum. She was still covered with the airline stickers and tags she had used to get onto the plane and shipped to that place, which was supposed to be right next to the Pyramids.  She absently tugged at them as she searched for a way out of the room. Finally she settled on gliding up to the ceiling and escaping by the skylight. She expected it to be alarmed, but to her relief, it wasn’t. Afterwards she had a difficult time dodging the guards outside and trudging through the sand to the Pyramids, which turned out to be much farther away than they seemed. Then came another game of avoiding the guards stationed there, until finally she'd made it inside.

She somehow found her way to a roped-off area deep within the center of the pyramid, when a strange feeling made her stop and examine the floor. There was a small opening there, where a few of the tiles had caved in. The rubble made it obvious that no one had yet had the chance to explore the shaft below. The gargoyle helped herself to the task, clearing away the debris until there was a hole she could fit through. It turned out to lead into a narrow tunnel that ran underneath the pyramid.

Though Vash had been crawling for almost an hour now, with the impression that she was going around in circles, she had yet to find the end of the passage. The air was stale and thin, and she had to stop more than once to clear her head or catch her breath. If it became any harder to breathe, Vash knew that she would have to turn back. Doing so would be difficult, however, as she would have no room to turn around, and so would have to slowly inch her way backwards the entire way. The skin on her hands and knees was already scraped raw from the rough stone tiles, so if she had to, she would wait until she had slept and healed before making the trip back.

As she reached out to steady herself, she thought she could detect a flow in the air just above one section of the floor. The stone there felt cooler than the rest, and as her fingers searched the edges of the tile, it began to come loose. Hope surged through her as she lifted away the stone and discovered another tunnel underneath. Without a second thought, she squeezed her body through, wincing as the sides rubbed against her wounds, and then dropped to the floor below.

The new passageway was a definite improvement. A small draft kept the air fresh and drove out most of the dust. In what remained on the floor, she could make out a set of footprints—which, judging from the amount of dust that had settled over them, had been made only recently. She then realized the significance of her being able to see—there was a dim light shining from somewhere further down the corridor. She cautiously moved forward to investigate.

After a few dozen feet, the passageway opened into a large chamber. She was stunned, as the place looked exactly as it had in her dream, except that the room was now bathed in soft moonlight instead of the harsh rays of the sun. Silver beams shone from a dozen openings in the roof, captured by mirrors and redirected to a pool at the center of the chamber.

A man stood in the shadows, his attention fixed on the pool. He was dressed in pale green robes that hung to the floor, and several jeweled rings glittered on his fingers. His head was completely bald, but a long gray beard started at his chin and flowed down to his waist. He muttered something at the pool, and began watching it expectantly.

Vash didn’t know if he was friend or foe, or even how he would react to seeing a gargoyle, but something told her that he was connected to whatever had brought her there. She made a noise to alert him, and he spun suddenly to face her, watching her with wide, fearful eyes. His gaze drifted to her shoulder and rested there for a long moment. Vash looked down and noticed that the airline sticker still hung on her clothing. She tore it off in disgust.

"Abah makim shu zucha?" he asked her. "Quif sahi brai shouka?"

Vash knew a little Arabic from what Saur had taught her, but this dialect was unfamiliar. She shook her head and spoke what she hope meant, "I do not understand. Do you speak another tongue?"

The man fingered one of his rings, and Vash’s head began to spin. As she steadied herself against a wall, she thought back to the words the man had spoken, and realized that she could now understand them. ‘Who are you?’ ‘Who sent you here?’

"I am sorry for the discomfort," he apologized. "The magic is necessary for us to understand each other."

She nodded, still leaning against the wall for support. After long, deep breaths, she asked the man who he was.

"I am Khotran, guardian of Ra’s temple. But again, I must ask who you are, and why you have come."

"I am…a gargoyle," she said, her thoughts still clouded by the spell. "I came here…looking for someone."

Khotran looked startled for a moment, then concentrated on the pool. Unlike in her dream, the liquid seemed lifeless; as still and clear as glass. Vash gasped as Ipsis’s image suddenly appeared on its surface. The man also seemed surprised—even anxious—but the expression was gone too quickly for Vash to be sure.

"Ah yes, I know him. He was the guardian of this place before me. Long, long ago." He slowly raised his eyes to look at her.

"But surely you knew that? Were you expecting to find him still alive?"

Vashkoda shook her head in confusion. Why had she come? It was impossible to hope that Ipsis still lived, when all signs pointed to the fact that he had died here millennia ago. What had she hoped to find?

"I may still be able to help you," he said kindly. He motioned her towards the pool, and Vash unsteadily approached it.

"The power of this Temple is stronger during the day, when the light of Ra’s Eye shines within," he explained. "But the pool stores some of this power so that we can use it at night."

"What do you intend?" asked Vash guardedly. As her head slowly began to clear, her suspicions of Khotran grew stronger.

"I can send you to him," the man smiled. "The pool can send you back in time, and you can be together again."

Vashkoda’s gaze shifted from the man to the pool in disbelief. Was it really possible? Could she find her love again, the part of her heart she had thought was lost forever?

"Step into the pool," Khotran told her. With her mind still filled with thoughts of Ipsis, she followed his instructions without thinking.

She could feel the liquid begin to stir, and this time, she had no chance to struggle. In the blink of an eye, it had engulfed her body completely, and then total darkness overcame her.

She awoke to the sounds of shouting and beating drums. She could see bright lights from behind her closed lids, and smell smoke and bitter incense all around her. Yet the air on her skin was cool, and as she sat up, she noted in surprise that she had been lying on sand. She opened her eyes and drew back as she saw hundreds of angry human faces surround her, yelling and waving their sticks menacingly.

"Hold," said a soft voice, but it commanded such power that all of the humans were immediately silent and reluctantly backed away from her.

The owner of the voice walked towards her as a path opened up through the crowd. Vash gasped in surprise—it was Khotran!

When she opened her mouth to cry out his name, the sudden breath of fumes sent her into a fit of coughing, and she fell to the ground gasping for air. Several pairs of arms lifted her up and carried her a short distance. She thought she could make out Khotran’s voice, giving instructions. When she opened her eyes, she could see that she had been lain across a long stone table, and was being bound to it with iron chains. She made an effort to resist, but was still too weak to free herself. She could only watch helplessly as Khotran approached her, wielding a long jagged knife. As he lifted his hands to the sky, commanding the crowd’s attention, she could see the dark tattoos of serpents winding down his arms. She gasped as he turned his face toward her. The kind, grandfatherly face was now much younger, and the comforting smile she remembered was replaced by a malicious grin.

"The desert offers a sacrifice for our lord, Apophis!" he shouted, his words answered by a cry of triumph from his followers. "The blood of this creature will now flow in his veins, making him strong in preparation for the day when he will rise from the sands and swallow up the sun, casting the world in endless night."

But instead of the cheer of his men, this time Khotran's words were answered by dozens of gargoyle war-cries. The creatures swooped down and dispersed the frightened crowd, who barely put up any resistance. Khotran cursed and hurried towards his captive, raising the knife in preparation to strike. A streak of gold shot past Vashkoda’s field of vision, and suddenly Khotran was off his feet and tumbling onto the sand. Still bound to the table, Vash tried to follow the priest with her eyes. One moment, he was standing there, glaring at his fleeing followers, and the next, he was gone—swallowed up by the desert. Vash blinked, wondering if she had been seeing things. Her mind was still clouded, though whether it was from the smoke or the spell Khotran had cast on her earlier, she couldn’t tell. The last thing she saw before she passed out completely was an approaching pair of gargoyle feet.

*     *     *

"Are you awake?"

Vashkoda’s eyes fluttered open to reveal a darkened room. She winced as the last remnants of the fog cleared from her mind, and all the memories of the past few days came rushing back. She gasped and bolted upright as the urge to flee overcame her. Except that she couldn’t sit up—she was still bound, lying on her back.

"It’s a precaution," the voice explained, though without a hint of apology. "You were found among the infidels, and although it seemed like you were their captive, your rescue could also have been intended. You may be in league with them."

Vash was stunned. "I promise you that I am not!"

"There was an army of humans once—from my homeland," the voice continued, and now Vash could hear the speaker's footsteps as he paced the room. "They invaded their enemy’s fortress by hiding within a giant trophy they had built for them. At night, the army emerged safely within the city walls and slaughtered their foes in their sleep. It was a cowardly act…and yet, frighteningly effective. I’ve always remembered that story, and it has taught me never to lower my guard."

The footsteps halted only a few feet away from her, but Vash still couldn’t see who it was. His voice sounded so familiar….

"What is most suspicious is that you look and sound like someone I know...or at least, someone I once knew.  But as much as I wish she were here, I know that to be impossible.  Perhaps the priest thinks that seeing her image will disarm me; make me lower my guard." 

"Ipsis! Is that you?" she cried, not daring to believe.  She struggled against the bonds, but she was tied down tight.  She couldn't even turn her head to look at him.  Tears welled in her eyes, and she felt a pressure in her chest that made it almost too painful to breathe.  

He muttered a curse, and in a strained voice, answered, "You don't know how hard it is for me to stand here and watch you-"  his words broke off as he took a deep breath to regain his composure.  "I would risk not only myself, but this clan.  I cannot free you until I am certain."

Vash choked down her sobs.  Not long afterwards she heard the rustle of fabric being lifted, and then she was alone.

*     *     *

Ok Ed, so you made it to Egypt.  Now what?

He had asked the cab driver to take him to the pyramids, but the man had explained--in very broken English--that the pyramids were closed at night and wouldn't open until late the next morning.  Frustrated, Ed allowed himself to be taken instead to the tourist section of town where he might find a hotel, but once there, he remembered that as a gargoyle Vashkoda couldn't wait until sunrise to go to the pyramids.   Therefore, if Ed had any hope of finding her before...before what?  The voices that had spoken from the globe hadn't offered many details.  Still, the mention of an evil priest was enough for Ed to know that the situation was bad.

And I helped get her into it, he thought sullenly, once again feeling the guilt that had driven him to come this far.

The familiar sound of swooping wings made him raise his eyes skywards, where he caught a glimpse of something yellow darting across the rooftops.

"No way I'm that lucky," he muttered to himself.  Still, if it really was Vash, he couldn't allow the opportunity to warn her pass him by.

He ran down the street, following the direction she seemed to have been moving.   With his gaze focused overhead, Ed completely missed seeing the small cart on the side of the road, directly in his path.  The salesman standing beside the cart waved his arms frantically, drawing Ed's attention only at the last minute so that he crashed into the man instead.

"I'm really sorry sir," Ed apologized, climbing back to his feet and helping the other man stand.

"I am not too badly hurt, Sahib," the salesman assured him, clutching his cart.  "Perhaps this is the work of the gods, guiding you to my merchandise.   Would you like to buy one?" he asked hopefully, holding out a dented bronze oil lamp.  With a conspiratory wink, he whispered, "This is no ordinary lamp!" 

Ed shook his head.  Wasn't his life strange enough?  The last thing he needed was a magic lamp!

"Some other time, maybe!" he called out, continuing down the road.  Was he too late?  Was Vashkoda already long gone?

A narrow alley intersected the street.  Ed had second thoughts about going in, knowing that he looked very much like a tourist and was therefore 'easy pickings' to whoever might be lurking there.  But whatever force had motivated him to come this far wouldn't let him leave now.  

I'll be very careful.  I only need to go in long enough to make sure she isn't there....

With a deep sigh, Ed crept into the alley.  The smell of refuse and urine rose up a hundred-fold, and Ed found himself motivated to reach the opposite end of the alley as quickly as possible.

Just before he rounded the corner, the sound of voices made him stop.

"Arre you certain you want to do dees?"

"Malachi, I must obey the dream.  I fear what might happen otherwise!"

Neither voice belonged to Vashkoda.  All right Ed, false alarm.  Now let's get out of here before those two spot you.

Ed backed away slowly.  Suddenly he heard something growl directly behind him.   He didn't dare move, but was able to catch a glimpse of it over his shoulder.  

It was only a small white terrier, with a black patch over its right eye that made it look like a pirate.  But despite its size, the little creature didn't seem the least bit afraid of Ed.  It barred its fangs menacingly, daring him to try anything.

What now? Ed thought to himself.  He didn't have to wonder long as the dog began to bark.

The voices in the alley immediately ceased.  Ed could hear his heart thumping in his chest.  It was all for nothing.  I came here to save someone, and all I'll end up doing is getting myself killed.

"Well-well-well, look at what Dog has found," spoke a voice from above.   Ed looked up and saw two gargoyles clinging to the alley walls like giant spiders.

"Why were you spying on us, human?" snarled the female.  No, she was definitely not Vashkoda, although she did have a similar scorpion-sting tail.

There was no way he could outrun them.  He decided to tell them the truth.   After all, gargoyles were supposed to help people...weren't they?

"I came here searching for a friend, a gargoyle.  In fact, she looks a little like you," he said in surprise, pointing at the female.

The two gargoyles exchanged looks.  "I thought you said everyone een your clan was killed," muttered the ochre-colored male in surprise.

"I thought so...but if one survived...."  The red female dropped from her perch and approached Ed.  "Describe this friend to me," she commanded.

Ed scratched his head.  "Er, well she has a tail like yours.  She has golden fur and wears this dark blue hood--oh wait never mind, she left that behind.   I said to her, ‘hey, that might be useful actually’, but did she listen?   Noooo, which is just typical really.  I mean, am I ever kept in the loop with Vashkoda’s..." Ed stopped when noticed the two gargoyles staring at him in annoyance.  He hoped they just thought he was babbling because he was nervous.   He wasn't, actually, which was a surprise to him.  He supposed that he had been in so many life-and-death situations lately that it had all simply become old hat to him.

"Vashkoda?" repeated the male to his companion.  "Does dat name sound familiar to you?"

The other gargoyle shook her head.  "My clan haven't used names for many generations, but I think I have heard that word--vashkoda--before.   If she has the tail, she must be of Selket's line, yet I do not remember anyone fitting her description.  It is possible that she hatched after the massacre, if her egg was left undiscovered...."

"But Cairo, you searched de cave for survivors!  You would have seen de egg!   I t'ink eet's far more likely dat dees human is lying to us.  He is making up stories to save hees hide!"

"Well hey, wouldn’t you?"

He met the gargoyle’s gaze.

"That really wasn’t the thing to say, was it? Look, I think it was a dream that led Vash to this place.  I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I heard you say earlier that you also had a strange dream."  The male gargoyle growled at him, but Ed ignored him and spoke directly to the female, Cairo.

"There were voices that talked to me and told me that this dream would lead Vash into danger."

"You hear voices?  Are you a mystic?" she asked him in awe.

"Cairo, don't believe anything dees human has to say!"

"Quiet, Malachi!  I know very well what you think of my people's 'primitive ways', but there are forces in this world that I will not deny.  I had a dream that told me to return home, and here I discover that another of my clan may be alive."  She turned her attention back towards Ed.  "What else did the spirits tell you?"

Ed was about to dispute whether they had really been spirits, but then thought the better of it.  Perhaps if he could invoke their sympathy, they would help him save Vashkoda.  "They said an ancient evil is stirring in the desert, and may have lured Vash to the Great Pyramid.  They asked that I find her before she gets herself captured or killed."

Cairo drew a sharp breath in surprise.  "Apophis.  But I thought his power had been broken forever."  Malachi raised an eye-ridge in askance, and Cairo explained that her clan's ancestors had fought to rid the desert of the serpent-demon's influence, and had guarded the gateway to the realm where he had been banished.

"But it has been many generations since we last heard or saw any signs of the demon's followers.  I only remember it now because of the stories the elders told us when we were hatchlings."

Malachi folded his arms out in front of him and frowned.  "So what do you propose we do?  Go to de Great Pyramid and rescue dees other gargoyle?"

Cairo shook her head.  "We would be powerless against a high priest of Apophis."

"But...but you aren't just going to leave your sister there to die, are you?" cried Ed, wondering if he was going to be alone on this mission after all.

"The priests draw power from their gods," she explained after a moment's pause.  "And the gods draw strength from their worshippers." 

"So...you're suggesting dat we kill de followers, to take away dees evil priest's magic?" Malachi asked, sounding doubtful.

"That isn't necessary.  We only need to desecrate or destroy their temple, since it is what channels the power to the demon."

"Oh good. I’m always up for a little temple destroying," Ed said wryly.   "By then Vash might be dead and this demon thing could be on the loose!   And my encounters with demons tends to put me in the 'demons are rather bad, actually' category. I vote we go to the pyramid and face this priest right now!"

Cairo gave him a cold hard stare.  "Then we will certainly die."

*     *     *

The room brightened as the curtain was drawn aside and a lamp was carried in.   Vash tested her bonds, but they were as tight as before.  In fact, she had woken to find herself still tied.  Although her bonds were made of simple rope, she had been strung up in a position where she could not use her full strength to break free.

"I have broth if you are hungry," spoke her visitor.  It was not Ipsis's voice.

"Is it drugged?" she asked, though she didn't really expect an honest reply.   She was famished, however; having eaten nothing since her arrival in Egypt. 

"As far as I know, it is simple soup.  If you do not want it, however-"

"No, I will trust your word," she said hurriedly.  She didn't, actually, but she was afraid he might leave and take away the food.  The smell was making her dizzy with hunger.

When the figure stepped closer, she saw that he was human.  The surprise must have shown on her face, because the man reacted with a frown.

"You think it is unusual for a man to walk among your kind?" he asked her, pulling up a chair.  At first she thought it was for him to sit in, but he instructed her to bend forward so that he could place it against her back.  She then understood that this was to help her sit up so that she could swallow the food.

"No, I have nothing against humans," she answered, hoping she hadn't offended him.  "I am friends with one," she offered, thinking of Ed, though she wasn't really sure whether they were or not.

The man made no comment, and instead, began spooning the soup into her mouth.  The flavor was as delicious as the aroma had promised.

He held the spoon away from her a moment to ask a question.

"You are of his Order, are you not?"

She realized he was referring to Ipsis.  "Do you mean the Illuminati?   If so, I am no longer one of them."  Her eyes remained focused on the spoon.

"What do you mean by this?  Did your mission succeed?  Or were you banished from the clan?"

Vashkoda sighed.  Not only was he depriving her of food, but he was making her discuss a topic that was still very painful to her.

"I was not banished, but the clan is not as it once was," she said, trying to explain. "We have been separated, and I no longer have access to the resources I need.  That...and I have been released from my obligation."  She felt a deep pang inside and realized she'd lost her appetite.

"That is unfortunate.  I thought your master had assigned you a task of great importance."

The gargoyle felt anger rising up inside of her.  "Then obviously Merlin's expectations were too great.  Or perhaps if he had not split us apart and then abandoned us, we would have found the Grail and Sir Percival before he became too powerful for us to stop him!"  Vashkoda was surprised to hear herself speak of Merlin this way, but realized she must have nursed this resentment a long time.  Only now that she was no longer Illuminati had she allowed the blasphemous thoughts to surface.

The man shook his head sadly.  "You give up too quickly.  That which is truly worth fighting for is never won easily."

Vashkoda fumed.  What did the human know of their struggle?  Had he wasted decades of his life traveling to countless lands in search of a man who was all but impossible to find?  Had he ever been enslaved by evil powers to serve a mortal enemy?  Had he ever sacrificed everything he held dear because honor demanded that he obey another man's command?

She was about to lash out at him verbally, when someone else spoke for her.

"Peace, my friend.  I believe she has passed the test."  It was Ipsis's voice.

The night before, she would have welcomed his presence.  The human's words had upset her, however, and it hurt her that her love had simply stood there and allowed him to say them.

"What is this about?  Were you trying to trick me, Ipsis?"

"In a matter of speaking, perhaps," he replied, still hidden in the shadows.   "As I said last night, I could not take any chances that you were sent by the enemy.  But your unusual story and the conviction in your voice told me that you truly are who you appear to be."

"And the fact that you understood the Illuminati code," the human added as he sampled some of her soup

Vashkoda then realized that she had been speaking to the human in the dialect that Merlin had taught her and her friends.  The wizard had done something to the language so that it was impossible for anyone who had not been taught it firsthand to magically learn to speak or understand it.

"How do you know how to speak the code?" she asked, amazed.

"I taught him, of course," Ipsis replied.  "When Merlin sent me here, Qeb was the first person I encountered.  He offered me shelter and food, and taught me to speak the local language.  In exchange, I taught him the code.  He has been a great ally and friend to me and my clan."

"Your clan?"

"Yes.  I searched and found several groups of gargoyles scattered across the desert.  They agreed to join together and help me defend this area from Khotran and his men."

Qeb nodded.  "And when the Pyramid is finished and the Eye of Ra is safe within, we won't have to worry about those snake worshippers ever again."  He rose to his feet and glanced in Ipsis's direction.  "I will get more soup," he explained apologetically, showing them the empty bowl.  "It...may take a while.  Especially if the cook has already gone to sleep."  

Vashkoda heard his footsteps grow faint and disappear.  Then she sensed Ipsis approach her.

"I'm sorry for binding you.  I will have you freed in a moment."   She felt the ropes loosen around her wrists.  Before she could rise to her feet, however, she felt Ipsis press down on her shoulders.

"Wait.  Before you look at me, you should know that I was once captured by Khotran's followers.  Before the clan could rescue me, I was...tortured.  Most of my wounds were healed by the sun, but others...."  He trailed off and released his hold on her. 

Vashkoda stood up shakily, rubbing the circulation back into her wrists.  The she turned around.

It was the first time she had seen her love in over two decades.  He looked just as she remembered him--the same long curly brown hair, the same Greek tunic, the same soft golden fur.  Except that where his wings used to be-

"Oh Ipsis..."  Vashkoda reached out and slowly wrapped her arms around him.  Her fingers brushed against the bony stubs on his back, and she shivered in response.  But it was Ipsis who pulled away from her.

"You don't need to feel pity for me.  It happened years ago--I don't even think of it any more.  In fact, I've gotten quite good at running," he smiled, trying to make light of the matter.  "It is a more useful skill in a land so flat that there often isn't enough height to glide down from."  

He then took her hands in both of his and studied her face.

"We were never officially bonded.  I want you to know that I understand if my condition changes things between us, and you would prefer to be with another."

Vashkoda was startled by his words.  "Have you then already chosen another mate?"

Ipsis shook his head.  "Some have offered, even after the injury.  But I confess that I could not keep you out of my thoughts, even after so many years.  To be with someone else seemed almost like a betrayal.  But then perhaps you have already-"

"No," she replied before he could finish.  "I had never given up hope that we might see each other again.  And I always had this to remind me of you," she said, showing him the bracelet still tied around her ankle.  He smiled in recognition.

"So does this mean-?"

Vashkoda silenced him with a kiss.  Ipsis welcomed it eagerly, and for a moment, it felt like they were back at the forest on their last night together, and that all the years in between had never happened.  The embrace itself felt timeless, so that she had no idea how long they had been standing in each other's arms until Ipsis slowly pushed himself away.

"There is still time tonight for the ceremony.  That is...if you want-"

"Yes!" she cried happily, already leaning in for another kiss.  Ipsis laughed.

"Are you ever going to let me finish my sentences?"  But he willingly obliged her request...both of them.

*     *     *

The desert sands passed swiftly beneath them as the gargoyles glided towards Cairo's old home.  Since her clan's ancestors had fought the demon's forces in the past, it was hoped that they had left behind some clue on where to begin looking for the temple.

Ed might have actually enjoyed the trip had Cairo been the one carrying him, but Malachi quickly offered to take up the burden instead.  As he feared, the ochre yellow gargoyle had simply wanted the opportunity to have a chat alone with him.

"I'm not fooled by your stories, and I don't appreciate you taking advantage of Cairo's naiveté.  I don't know what you arre planning, but I will not allow anything to happen to her.  Be warned that if you have put her in any danger, you will be de first to die.  I promise it!"

Ed sighed, more frustrated than afraid.  "We’re going to destroy a temple and tangle with demons or what-nots and you’re saying ‘if I put her in danger’ – well gee, there’s a long-winded way of saying ‘you’re dead, pal’. Look, I only told the truth as I know it.  Maybe none of it is true.   Maybe we're walking blindly into some kind of trap.  But I'm going to do what I can to get to the bottom of it and help my friend if she's in trouble."

Malachi snorted.  "And t'anks to you, yourr problem has now become ourrs as well."

Ed frowned.  "I thought you gargoyles looked out for those in your clan.   I must admit, I'm a little disappointed."

He felt himself drop as Malachi suddenly readjusted his grip.  Ed understood the warning and was silent.

"I don't have a clan," Malachi said after a few moments.

"But maybe Cairo does...."

"Here we are!" she announced suddenly, swooping down to the base of a series of rocky hills.  Malachi followed and landed beside her.  Ed landed in a sprawl as Mal let him drop to the sand.  Dog leapt away from Cairo's arms to explore the area.

The scarlet gargoyle began to climb, sending loose stones skittering down the hillside.   Malachi leapt up and joined her, while Ed stood back and watched.

"Arren't you coming?" Malachi called down to him.

Ed looked around for Dog, and saw him a short distance away, seemingly climbing the hill without difficulty.  Ed walked over to the animal and suddenly noticed a path camouflaged among the rocks.  With Dog there to lead him, Ed was quickly able to reach the ledge where the others were waiting for him.

Cairo began to pull a large boulder aside.  Malachi rushed to help her, and soon the stone was pulled away to reveal a small crevasse in the hillside.

"This is the entrance to my clan's home," Cairo announced, a little sadly.   As they followed her in, Ed was forced to take out his flashlight to keep from bumping into walls.  As the light passed over one section of the cave, Ed stopped to stare in wonder.  It was covered in hieroglyphics.

Cairo noticed his interest.  "That is the Sage's Wall.  Only the wisest elders could read and write the drawings."

"Hmm," said Ed as he walked over to inspect them.  "I might actually be able to translate these if you two don't mind waiting a bit."  

The red gargoyle looked at him with newfound respect.  "You can read the signs?  Then you truly must be a Sage!"

Ed blushed.  "Oh, um, well not by myself.  I have a program here that might do the trick though."  He rummaged through the pack he had carried along and took out a small laptop computer.  Malachi peered over his shoulder, then made a sound of disgust when he saw the device.

"Don't tell me dey steel make dose old t'ings!  Where did you buy eet--a junk sale?"

Ed grimaced.  "Hey, it works just fine!  Now if you don't mind, I have some work to do."  He turned his attention to the screen, ignoring the gargoyle.

"Sage indeed," Mal muttered as he walked away to explore the cave.   Cairo was doing likewise, but the experience of returning to her old home was visibly painful for her.  Malachi rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's strange...being back here after all this time.  Everything looks the same.  I almost expect to start hearing their voices, or see them coming around the corner-"

She stopped in surprise as Dog dashed past them and headed deeper into the cave.  

"What's dat mutt found thees time?" asked Mal with a grimace as he followed his pet to investigate.  Cairo was only a few steps behind, and bumped into her mate when he suddenly stopped.

"What's that?"

Cairo looked past him at the area Dog was currently sniffing.  It was a small alcove with several hieroglyphics scribbled onto the wall.  

"That's the Leader's roost.  It's forbidden for anyone to go near it," she explained.  Anxiously, she added, "Malachi, I don't think Dog should be there."

Malachi moved towards the wall to pick up the terrier, when he stopped and began to examine it more closely.  

"Cairo, I t'ink there's somet'ing here."  Despite his mate's worried looks, he began to push and pull at the stone.

"Hey guys, the program's finally translated it!" cried Ed as he ran towards them, momentarily blinding them with his flashlight.  "The Sage's Wall appears to be a written history of this clan.  It mentions Apophis a lot, which I guess is the snake demon your ancestors fought against, Cairo.  His followers were active until about a thousand years ago, when they just suddenly vanished.  That's when your clan stopped guarding the gateway to demon's prison.  I guess that's why you never knew where it was, even though according to this, guarding it would have been your job, since you said you were one of Selket's descendants.  But here's the real irony.   You'll never guess where the gateway is...."

With a heave and a shout, Malachi pulled a large stone slab away from the wall, revealing darkness beyond.

"I'm guessing through dere?" puffed the yellow gargoyle, still winded from the effort.  Dog sniffed the opening and drew back quickly.

Ed stared at it in surprise.  "Um...maybe.  It's located deep inside one of these hills.  There's supposed to be a maze of underground tunnels spanning this whole area, but this could very well be one of the entrances.  It’s certainly…dark enough."

Cairo still seemed in shock.  "The gateway...was here?  The Leader and the Sages must have known all along.  But why would they hide this?  If it was my duty to guard the demon's prison...?"  Her eyes widened in horrible realization.  "My dream!  This is why I was called back...something must have happened to the gateway!  If the demon's forces are growing, they must be channeling power directly from it--they must have built the temple around the gateway itself!  We must find it and destroy it!"

Malachi and Ed glanced at the entrance uncertainly.  "I'm not so sure it is a good idea to go in dere," said the gargoyle. "But if you go, I will follow."

Ed grimaced.  "Yeah, well I guess this is why I came here, after all.   Let's just hurry and get it over with before common sense or death catch up with me."

*   *   *

"It's incredible," said Vash, as she and her mate looked up at the Great Pyramid, completed just that evening.

Ipsis smiled.  "It had better be, considering how many years it took to build, even with the clan's help!"

Vashkoda pointed at the striped headdress he now wore, a symbol of royalty.   "At least the Pharaoh expressed his gratitude."

The gargoyle looked at it and shrugged.  "I think he did it at Qeb's insistence.  But I suppose being named the Pharaoh's brother is an honor, even if I did have to swear never to seek the throne for myself."  He pretended to look disappointed, but Vash knew that leadership was the farthest thing from his mind.   Circumstances had forced him to accept that role for his own clan, but he longed for a carefree life to enjoy time alone with his family.  

Soon, Vash thought to herself.  After tomorrow, you will be freed from your duty....

"Mom!  Dad!  Look at what Qeb made for me!"

A small golden-furred hatchling ran up to her parents and proudly showed them her gift.

Ipsis examined it dubiously.  "That a very pretty...um...stick, Selket."

The child frowned at him.  "It's a staff!  Qeb said he'd teach me to do magic with it!"

"Oh really?" Vashkoda said, giving her mate a long look.  "Well we'll see about that.  And Selket, shouldn't you be back at camp with the other hatchlings?"

The young gargoyle pouted.  "But it's no fun there after Qeb leaves.  I want to stay here with you!"

"Qeb's already left?" repeated Ipsis in surprise.  "It must be time, then.  I will go gather the others."

Vashkoda nodded.  "I'll join you after I've taken this little one home."   She lifted up Selket with one arm and used the other to climb the pyramid.   They both waved to Ipsis as she dove down and glided over the sands in the direction of their camp.

"But why can't I stay?" Selket asked her mother.  "You've let me before!"

Vash shook her head.  "Not tonight.  The desert won't be safe for you...or anyone."  Moved by a sudden impulse, she hugged her child tightly.

"Whatever happens, know I'll always love you, Selket.  You must be brave."

The words frightened the young gargoyle, but she tried her best to hide it.  

"I will, Mom.  And I love you too."

*   *   *

They came across yet another fork.  Malachi nearly cried out in despair.

"We've been wanderring for an hour and haven't seen a single sign of de temple.   We're lost!"

Ed shook his head.  "That's why I made sure we turned right at every branch.   The trick to any maze is to follow one wall all the way to its end, and you'll always find the exit.  And we're not lost.  We're about five miles north from where we first started."  The two gargoyles stared at him dubiously.   "Trust me--I have a good sense of direction."

"Hmph, I guess you're useful to have around, after all," acknowledged Malachi.  "How did you learn dat wall trick?" 

An image suddenly arose in Ed's mind, of a giant bull-headed man.  The figure felt familiar somehow, yet Ed knew that such creatures couldn't exist.  He pushed the thought aside.  "I heard it from someone," he said simply.

They continued exploring the tunnels, taking the right fork each time.  Finally the tunnel opened up into a large room.  The chamber was empty, but there was an opening where the tunnel continued at the far end.

"Wait," said Malachi as Cairo was about to take a step inside the hall.   "Dere's no reason for a room to be here.  Something's not right."

They waited as the ochre gargoyle studied the chamber from the tunnel.  Using Ed's flashlight, he illuminated the walls on either side.

"Aha.  See those holes?  I bet dees room ees booby trapped.  If you step een de wrong spot, you'll get shot by poisoned darts or arrows or perhaps sliced by a hidden blade.  But dees ees a good sign."

Ed had grown slightly paler.  "A good sign?  How do you figure that?"

Malachi grinned.  "They wouldn't bot'er leaving traps here unless dere was something important beyond eet.  I t'ink you were right--we're going de right way."

"But how are we going to make it past without triggering anything?" asked his mate, worried.

"You, human--deed you bring any water wit' you?"

"My name is Ed," he frowned, but went ahead and tossed Malachi a large water bottle from his pack.  The gargoyle then proceeded to pour the water onto the floor.

"Hey, what are you doing?  We need that, we're in the desert for goodness sakes!" he cried out, trying to stop him.  Cairo held Ed back.

"Trust him," she said.

When the bottle was emptied, Mal put his eye to the ground and studied the flow of the water.  It ran in a strange pattern, zigzagging left and right across the length of the room.

"Your ancestors came down deese tunnels for centurries, Cairo, and wore a path een de floor for us to follow," Mal explained.  "Come, we must hurry before de water dries!"

They followed Malachi, still carrying Ed's flashlight, as he led them around the room until they finally reached the opposite tunnel.  Nothing had been triggered--they had made it through safely.

"What about the water?" moaned Ed, still upset.

"Do not worry, Sahib.  You won't need it where you're going."

Five figures pulled away from the shadows, their curved swords reflecting dimly in the flashlight's beam.

Malachi drew his own sword.  Cairo flicked her scorpion tail forward, warning the humans to stay back.

"We do not fear your kind," spat the man in front.

Cairo growled, "You should."  As if those words were a signal, she and Malachi leapt forward and swung at the humans nearest them.  The sword borne by Malachi's opponent shattered as the force of the gargoyle's blow came bearing down upon it.  The human had little time to react before Mal grabbed him by the tunic and smashed him against the tunnel wall.

Cairo had swept two of the humans off their feet with her tail, then stung them repeatedly in the chest with her stinger.  A third tried to loop a piece of rope around her while she was distracted.  The move only succeeded in infuriating Malachi, who rushed forward to free her.  He then used the man's own rope as a noose to snap his neck.

Ed had stayed back, trying to keep out of the gargoyles' way.  He watched the battle anxiously, until it became clear that his friends were going to win.  Just then, Ed realized that one of the men was unaccounted for.  Then he felt a knife at his throat.

"Surrender, or your friend dies!" threatened the leader, standing a little behind him and to the side.  Ed saw Malachi's eyes glow in the darkness.

Suddenly a shot rang out and the man carrying the knife fell to the floor.  

Malachi returned the gun to his holster and walked over to examine the body.   "Thanks for the help," he muttered to Ed.  "I take back what I said earlier--you'rre completely useless."

"What did you want me to do?" cried Ed indignantly.  "It's not like I have claws or weapons.  I didn't even have my flashlight, thanks to you!  And if you had a gun, why not use it earlier?"

Mal growled.  "I didn't want de sound to alert others fart'er down de tunnel.   But t'anks to your bungling, dere's probably already an arrmy of cultists on der way here.  Come on, we have to hurry!"

*    *    *

The Great Pyramid had been built to house a powerful relic from ancient times, dating back to the days when Ra himself walked among men.  The artifact had been created as an emergency measure for the Pharaoh to use should great evil ever threaten Egypt.   Because Apophis's cult had been steadily growing in the last few decades, the Pharaoh had finally decided to activate it, although it would first require a large structure to be built to focus the sun's power into it.  Now that structure was finally completed.

Once the Eye was opened, a barrier of mystical energy would envelop the land and keep out all evil.  It would be a momentous occasion, one that the Pharaoh and Qeb, Ra's high priest, had been planning for years.

"This is foolish.  We should awaken the Eye now and be done with it!" growled a blue gargoyle standing watch at the edge of the hillside.  Those within earshot muttered in agreement.

Ipsis agreed as well, but the decision had not been his to make.  "The Pharaoh wants Ra's Eye to be opened during a special ceremony at dawn," he reminded them.  "He has asked us to guard it until then, and that is what we will do."

"The demon's followers won't pass up their last chance to get at the Eye.  An attack is almost certain, yet none of the Pharaoh's own soldiers are at the Pyramid.   Why are we the only ones guarding it?" asked a long-horned female.  Ipsis had been wondering that as well.

"Since when have you brave creatures needed help from men?  Your warriors are renowned across the land for your strength and skill in battle.  Pharaoh probably feared you'd be insulted at having a group of humans here, as if you couldn't take care of this problem yourselves!"

Qeb walked up to the assembled group, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that his words had the desired effect of calming the gargoyles.  He approached Ipsis and whispered, "That was close!  You really should do something to lift morale around here."

Ipsis frowned.  "I must admit, I am in agreement with them.  Are we not about to battle Pharaoh's greatest enemy?  Why does he not send us reinforcements?"

Qeb looked embarrassed.  "Well, the truth is that Pharaoh believes that he will be the target of any attack.  He has all of his soldiers guarding the palace.   They will follow him here for the dawn ceremony, so at least when you sleep, the Eye will still be well guarded."

"You know better than that.  By then it will be too late."

Qeb nodded reluctantly.  "But you are not completely without human help.   I am here with you, and a priest of Ra is a certainly force to be reckoned with!"

The gargoyle smiled at his friend and thanked him, then looked over to where his mate was standing.  She seemed anxious, so he walked up beside her to offer comfort.

"Do you worry about tonight?"

Vashkoda shook her head.  "No, not tonight."  She looked at him, studying his face.  "I know that it is not our way to reveal the future to those who haven't seen it, but in this case, I think it is important that I do so."

Ipsis nodded, waiting for her to continue.  She turned her face away from him.

"Do you know how I came here, to this desert twenty years ago?"

The gargoyle Leader smiled.  "Merlin sent you a dream that led you to the Pyramid.  The Eye then brought you to the past."

Vashkoda was silent for a long moment.  "I'm no longer certain it was Merlin," she said.  "When I reached the Eye, someone else was already there.  Khotran.  I didn't know him then, but I should have known enough to be suspicious.  He is the one who activated the Eye so that I could come here."

Ipsis was almost speechless.  "But...but why would he send you to me, his enemy?"

"To get me out of the way.  Don't you see?  It doesn't matter what happens here tonight.  We may delay his plans for a time, but in the future he will have access to the Eye again.  And there will be no one there to stop him from destroying it!"

One of their scouts suddenly appeared out of the sky, gliding down to land beside them.   "Leader, an army has been spotted south of the Palace.  They carry the serpent's banner," he reported.

Ipsis looked shocked.  "The Pharaoh was right?"

Qeb had joined them to hear the message.  "No, Khotran would not be that foolish."  The priest then took out his staff and softly muttered an incantation.  He then spoke as if in a trance:

"Ipsis, I feel a dark presence in the pyramid.  I believe Khotran is already at the Eye."

The leonine gargoyle growled.  "Then I will go confront him.  Stay here with the clan and-"

"No," said the priest, not letting him finish.  "The clan must go help Pharaoh, your brother.  And your warriors need their Leader in battle.  You owe it to them."  Qeb turned his gaze onto Vashkoda.  With a start, the female realized what he wanted.  She nodded.

"Yes, I will go with you."

Ipsis sighed, knowing that there was no other way.  He reached for his mate and held her for a moment, wishing that he still had his wings to fold around her and keep her safe.

"Be careful, my love.  I do not need to tell you what he is capable of."

Vashkoda smiled.  "You face an army, and I face but a single man."   Ipsis seemed ready to protest, but she quickly corrected herself.  "Yes, yes I know.  But take care of yourself as well."

Ipsis reached for his hood and began to unfasten it.  Vashkoda watched him in confusion. 

"Ispsis, what are you-?"

The gargoyle lifted the fabric from around his shoulders, and wrapped it around her own.

"You will need this more than I."

It felt strange to once again be wearing Merlin's gift.  "Ipsis, I can't.   After all I've said, and after speaking the rite-"

"You have never stopped being one of us here," he said, pointing to her heart.  "And that is all that matters.  Now go perform your duty, Illuminatus.  Save the Eye from Khotran."

"Come," said Qeb, pulling her towards him.  He then raised his staff to the sky and spoke a Word of power.  The scene of the desert vanished, replaced by the stone walls of a chamber deep inside the pyramid.

They were met by a sinister laugh in the darkness.  "Qebehsenuef, priest of Ra!  I was hoping you would challenge me.  Your pesky interference ends now."

"Watch out!" cried Vashkoda, throwing herself at Qeb so that they both hit the ground.  She felt an icy wind against her back, and knew that they had barely dodged some form of magical attack.

Although the room was pitch black, Vashkoda's gargoyle vision still enabled her to distinguish vague outlines in the dark.  She began to circle around to where she thought the evil priest was hiding.  In case Khotran was using magic to see, Vash pulled on her hood, trusting that his spell couldn't pierce its cloak.

"So, you brought one of those animals along!  Did you really think it could protect you?"  Khotran chuckled menacingly.  "You have simply condemned another share your fate."

The priest was directly in front of her, searching the darkness.  His eyes were completely white, confirming her earlier suspicion.  He carried a staff similar to Qeb's, except that his had large twin rubies fastened to its tip in silver wire, which winded along the length of the rod.  

Vashkoda reached out and grabbed hold of it, jerking it out of Khotran's grasp.   He quickly recovered from the surprise and shouted a command.

She felt the staff writhing beneath her talons.  She threw it down in horror and watched as it transformed into a living serpent.  The priest laughed as he reached down to pick it up and returned it to its original form.

His laugh was cut short as the floor of the pyramid began to shake.  At once, a beam of brilliant light rose up from the pool in the center of the room and reflected off of several sets of mirrors set along the ceiling.  Vashkoda realized that she stood too close to the pool, and retreated to the shadows at the edges of the chamber before her magical invisibility faded.

"You are too late, servant of Apophis!" shouted Qeb.  "I have opened Ra's Eye, and now no evil may enter this land."

Khotran had raised his hands to shield his sensitive eyes from the light.  When he uncovered his face, his pupils were once again visible, and his mouth was curled into a mocking sneer.

"It is you who are too late, for I am already within the borders of your land, and thus this magic cannot stop me.  And when I destroy your precious Eye, nothing will stop my master from returning to this world."

Qeb lifted his staff to summon his power, but the dark priest was quicker.   Khotran aimed his staff at Qeb and spoke a single Word.  The man screamed as his body was engulfed by a cloud of dark light, which then shot back towards Khotran and seeped into the rubies on his staff.  No trace of Qeb remained.

Khotran scanned the chamber, but Vashkoda was still hidden.

"You see now that fighting me is futile.  Apophis's own powers are mine to command."

Vash kept silent, wondering how indeed she was going to defeat someone so powerful.

The priest walked slowly around the pool, speaking aloud as he did so.

"Why do you hide in the shadows?  Do you feel safe in the darkness?"

Vashkoda said nothing.  Khotran smiled and continued. 

"I understand that your kind are also creatures of the night.  Each day, you awaken at the moment of our lord's victory, when Ra, the sun god, is defeated and surrenders the sky.  Don't you see?  You are Lord Apophis's child, just as I am.   You should be helping me free our master from his prison, not siding with those infidels.   Ra's people are weak; fat and drunk from the bounty of their harvests.  They do not deserve this land.  The desert is harsh and unforgiving, and belongs only to the strong."

For just a moment, Vashkoda felt something cold touch her mind.  It was very similar to the sensation she had felt when she was under Duvals' control, and she realized that the priest must be trying to place a spell on her.  Indeed, she saw him fingering one of his rings, just as he had done long ago when he clouded her mind so that she would step into the pool.

"Come towards me, child of Apophis.  Let me look upon your face."

Vashkoda stepped forward slowly, feeling the magical shadows slip away from her as she came closer to the pool and its radiance.  Khotran watched her warily as she approached.  She stopped only a few feet away from him, her caped wings and hood now clearly visible against the light, but still managing to partially conceal the features beneath.

The priest appeared satisfied.  "You have joined the winning side just in time.  When our Master is freed, he will crush any who oppose his rule.  Now help me destroy the Eye."

Vashkoda followed Khotran to the edge of the pool.  Whatever Qeb had done had caused the liquid to swirl rapidly towards the center where the beam of light originated.   The glow felt warm and comforting against her face, but Khotran growled and shied away from it.

"Tear away the stones at the edge so that the water drains out," he commanded, bending down as he set to the task himself.

Instead, the gargoyle grabbed hold of him and leapt forward, tossing them both into the pool.

Khotran screamed in pain and fury.

"Nooooo!  What have you done you stupid beast?!  You will regret-"

His words were cut off as the liquid rose to envelop them.

*     *     *

Chastised, Ed followed silently as the two gargoyles rushed forward, stopping at times to look and listen before continuing.  At last the tunnel ended.

They entered a circular room, about fifty feet in diameter.  Directly in front of them was a large stone door, carved with the image of a snake writhing beneath the rays of the sun, depicted as a glowing eye.  Vibrations could be felt emanating from behind the stone, making their skin tingle.

In front of the door was a large bronze statue of a serpent's head.  Its eyes were two fist-sized gems, which glowed red from some unseen source.  Silver dishes bearing an assortment of fruits, oils, and small sacrifices were placed around it like an altar.   There were also jars of smoking incense spread around the room.  Cairo seemed to recognize the smell instantly, and hurriedly kicked the jars over and put out the smoldering brands with her foot.

"It's a concoction made by Apophis's priests," she explained.  "It makes our kind weak and sick."

Ed looked around the room.  "Is this it, then?  Somehow I pictured something...grander.  And where are all the worshipers?"

Malachi watched the entrance warily.  "We might have caught dem unprepared.   We cannot let ourselves be trapped een dees room.  Cairo, do what you have to, quickly!"

The red gargoyle approached the statue.  "I saw this in my dream," she said, sounding entranced.  "Malachi, give me your sword."

He complied, handing it to her by the hilt.  Cairo then took it in both hands, aimed the point at one of the serpent's eyes, and thrust the blade forward, shattering the gem.  A dark mist emerged, then coalesced into human shape.

Malachi and Ed shouted in surprise.  Malachi ran forward, claws extended to attack the stranger.  Cairo interposed herself between them.

"No Malachi!  This man is a friend.  He was part of the dream."

Malachi stopped and studied the man.  He wore white robes embroidered with the image of a golden sun.  His head was completely bald--even his eyebrows had been shaven.  He clearly resembled a priest, and for a moment, Malachi worried that this was the priest they were supposed to destroy, and that he had placed Cairo under a spell.   Yet the man did not look evil.  In fact, it looked like he was crying. 

"Thank you!  Thank you for answering my call!  My name is Qebehsenuef.   I have been trapped in that gem for so long...."  The priest smiled at them gratefully, then looked at Cairo.  "You are a child of Selket?" 

Cairo nodded.  "It was my honor.  I regret that I hadn't come sooner, but I knew nothing of this until the dream."

"Dream?" repeated Ed in sudden realization.  "Wait a minute...did you send Vashkoda her dream too?  Is that why she came all the way here?" 

"Vashkoda?  She has been released from the Eye?" asked Qeb in surprise.

"The Eye?  Ra's Eye?" asked Cairo in amazement.  "I thought it was only a myth!"

"And now you're saying Vash is trapped inside it?" asked Ed, trying to follow.

Qeb sighed.  "Yes it does indeed exist, and like this portal, your ancestors were supposed to be guarding it," he said to Cairo, quite distraught.  Turning to Ed, he added, "And yes, last I knew, Vashkoda was being held there along with myself and Apophis's high priest, Khotran.  But he managed to escape the Eye and took me with him, trapped inside that gem."  He indicated the shattered fragments, then reached up to grab the remaining gem and tucked it into his robes.  "As for the dreams, I sent them to any of Selket's bloodline, not knowing who else to call.   If Vashkoda was freed, I suppose it could have reached her as well, since she is Selket's mother."

Cairo did a double-take.  "Selket's mother?  But how can that be?   Selket was alive thousands of years ago!"

Qeb paused in reflection.   "Hmm, I think I understand.  Vashkoda must originally come from your time.  She was then sent to my time, and after Selket was born, helped trap Khotran in the Eye, and herself in the process.   We have all been waiting there ever since.  Well, at least until several years ago when Khotran finally broke free.  I suppose Vash must still be in there."

"It's because of your dream that's she went back in time and got trapped in the first place," Ed accused the priest.  "You owe it to her to help us set her free!"  

Qeb looked affronted.  "Well of course I'll set her free!  And teach Khotran a lesson or two, now that you've desecrated Apophis's idol and broken its link to him.  I'm certain he's at the Great Pyramid right now, thinking of ways to destroy the Eye and lower the barrier keeping evil out of this land."

"Then we must hurry and leave now!" cried Cairo.  "Dawn will soon be here, and we have far to go to reach the Pyramids!"

"Not so hasty, not so hasty!" muttered Qeb.  "Of course it's been a while since I've done any spells, and I don't have my staff with me.  Hm, well, this might do the trick."  He lifted up a golden ankh from around his neck and asked them all to gather around him.  Ra's high priest then shouted a Word of Power, and suddenly they were in another place.

*     *     *

"Well well well.  This scene looks familiar."

They materialized before the magical pool in the center of the Great Pyramid.   Apophis's priest was waiting for them.

"Surrender Khotran!" shouted Qeb, holding the ankh out in front of him.   "We won't let you destroy the Eye!"

Khotran laughed.  "Fool!  Don't you think that if I wanted Ra's Eye destroyed, I would have done so by now?  No, after spending so long inside it, I realized that destroying this power source would be a shameful waste.  Instead, I have been slowly merging its energy with my own life force."

Qeb looked shocked.  "But what of Apophis?  Why have you not released him?"

Khotran snorted in derision.  "That demon is weak!  Even after all these millennia, he has been unable to free himself without my aid.  Besides, the time of the ancient gods is long past!  No one worships Apophis any more, or even Ra himself!   Where once he had thousands of followers, in this age I found only a handful.   I was so disgusted that I abandoned those men and our cause.  But first I helped them destroy the remnants of those blasted creatures who defied me in ancient times.  What irony, that they roosted right above Apophis's own temple!"

"It was you!" cried Cairo in surprise and anger.  "You're the one who slaughtered my clan!"  She roared and sprang towards Khotran like a bullet.   The evil priest swept his arm out in front of him, and suddenly an invisible force flung Cairo back.  Her body hit the floor and skidded a few feet before finally stopping.  Malachi was instantly at her side.

"He...still...has power," she said softly, grimacing in pain.  "But we...desecrated the idol.  How can this be?"

"You must be the one that got away," remarked Khotran with a shrug.   "That shall soon be rectified."  He gathered a ball of sparking energy between his hands and hurled it towards them.  Qeb used the ankh to create a magical shield to block the spell.  But after the ball crashed against it, the field buckled and disintegrated, and the glow of the talisman faded completely.  Qeb stared at the ankh in dismay.

"I told you--without believers, the gods have no power.  The magic I wield comes from the Eye, not Apophis.  I am its master now."

"I won't let you defile Ra's sacred pool!" cried Qeb.  Khotran only laughed.

"This isn't the end, is it?  I mean, you have one last trick up your sleeve you haven't tried yet, right?" Ed asked the priest hopefully.  Qeb took the undamaged gem from his robes and held it in his hand.  Although it had glowed inside the idol, the jewel now ceased to emit any light.  Qeb sighed.

"He speaks the truth.  Without believers, Ra has no power here.  There's nothing more I can do."

Cario rose slowly to her feet.  "Then I will worship Ra," she said.   "Just as my ancestors did before me."  

The gem began to flicker faintly.

Malachi wrapped an arm around his mate.  "Cairo, you have accused me of being blind--of not opening my mind to de possibility dat forces exeest een dees world weech cannot be seen or understood.  But knowing how strongly you believe een dem, and after what I have seen here today...."  Malachi turned to the face the evil priest.  "I believe as well!"

The jewel pulsed more brightly now, but Qeb's grim expression showed that it was still not enough.  Ed wondered if his faith would be needed as well.  But he honestly didn't think that a being such as Ra could have ever existed....

Suddenly the world shifted, and Ed found himself having another vision.

The walls of the pyramid vanished, replaced by sights and sounds that reminded Ed of an English pub.  He stood before a billiards table, directly across from a man bathed in blinding golden light.  A hawk was perched on his shoulder.

"So are you really going to go through with this mission?" the man asked him, leaning over the table as he aimed his cue.

"I am," said a voice that sounded to Ed much like his own.  Mission?   What mission?

The golden figure completed his shot, bouncing three balls into their intended pockets.   "Well, good luck I suppose," he continued.  "Personally, I think humans are more trouble than they're worth.  Oh sure, it's nice to have someone wait on you hand and foot, dedicating songs to your greatness and building temples in your honor.  But humans are so...needy.  Once they discover you have power do do things, they never stop asking you favors.  Ra, can you stop the rain?   Ra, can you slay our enemies?  Ra, can you cure my cow?"

The vision began to fade as Ed approached the table to take his turn.  

"All their begging was driving me crazy.  That's why I left and came here.   I tell ya, sometimes I think the world would be a much better place without their kind."

Ed suddenly snapped out of it, finding himself back at the Pyramid.

"Ra really does exist," he said faintly, holding a hand to his head in wonder.  "And man is he a jerk!"

It was enough.  The gem now shined brilliantly in the darkness.  Khotran barred his teeth in anger.

This time Qeb's hand was quicker.  The gem shot a beam of scarlet light at the evil priest and drew him inside it.  Khotran released one last scream of defiance before he vanished.

"So...that's it?" wondered Ed aloud, scanning the chamber as if he expected another enemy to suddenly appear.  "Wow, that was nothing!  I have sooo come closer to death than this before!" 

"Not close enough," muttered Malachi in annoyance.

"Thank you my friends," smiled Qeb.  "With your help, I had to power to finally vanquish Khotran."

"So he's trapped in the gem like you were?" Cairo asked, peering at the red jewel.

The priest nodded.  "I think I will toss this jewel through the portal to Apophis's prison.  I'm sure the demon would like to know what his servant's been up to."  

Qeb then approached the pool and gazed deeply into it.  "Now I will free our friend."  He clutched the ankh with both hands and once again it began to glow.   He then tossed it into the pool, crying out, "Lord Ra, the Eye is once again your own.  May you continue to watch over us and bless this land!"

Not likely, thought Ed to himself.  Then suddenly the liquid began to swirl, and out of it rose a familiar figure.  Sputtering, Vashkoda leapt out of the pool and shook the water off her fur, splattering everyone in the process.  

"Uh...good to see you again, Vash," said Ed, wiping the drops from his face.   The gargoyle stared at him in surprise, and looked even more shocked when she saw Qeb standing there among them.

"I'm back here then...in the future," she said slowly.  A pained look crossed her features momentarily, then was gone.

"Qeb, how did you come here?  And where's Khotran?"  

"We were trapped with you in the Eye.  Although you were unconscious, Khotran spent the centuries trying to escape, until he finally succeeded," the priest explained.  "He took me with him, trapped inside a gem.  But now I have trapped him," he said smugly.

"With my help," added Ed.

"Wit' ourr help," corrected Malachi.  

Cairo walked over to introduce herself.  "My name is Cairo, and this is Malachi," she said, bowing her head.  "It is a great honor to meet you, ancestor."

"Cairo is Selket's descendant," explained Qeb when he saw Vash's confused expression.  "Her great, great, great, great--well, many generations removed," he said at last with a flustered smile.

"Selket?" said Vash, her eyes filling with tears as she realized that she would never see her child again.  Cairo and Qeb urged her to sit down beside them as they willingly answered all of her questions.  Ed and Malachi hung back, exchanging frowns at one another, yet keeping silent out of respect.  The dawn soon came, and when the sun had set once more, they said their goodbyes to Qebehsenuef.

  *     *     *

"I guess eet's another long ride een de baggage compartment for us," muttered Malachi with a sigh as the group glided towards the city.  This time he carried Dog, while Vash carried a very relieved Ed.

Vashkoda grimaced.  "You too?  At least the trip here seemed short since we faced the sun.  But now we'll face the west, and be awake for most of the flight home."

Ed smiled.  "Well, you're more than welcome to join me instead.  I have a private jet waiting at the airport."

The gargoyles stared at him in disbelief.  

"What?  I just got paid, so I had all this money lying around.  Besides, it's nearly impossible to book a reservation the night you want to leave; all the commercial flights were full."

After Ed had a word with the captain about the extra passengers and their unusual costumes, the group was airborne and on their way home.  Cairo and Mal sat beside each other and seemed to have many long discussions during the flight.  Vash and Ed gave them some privacy and sat together at the opposite end of the plane.

"Without your help, I would have been killed.  And by some miracle, you have also reunited me with family I never knew I had."  Vashkoda bowed her head to him.  "Thank you."

Ed blushed.  "Well, I can't take all the credit.  To be honest, I was scared and doubting myself every step of the way.  I might have given up if your friends in the orb hadn't pushed me to do it."  Ed's expression became thoughtful.  "And you know, I think I can piece together what they said and what I saw in your memories.  They were the other Illuminati gargoyles, weren't they?   Your clan before you met Steelclaw?"

Vashkoda nodded.  "But those you talked to were members I've never met before.  Golden must have recruited more after I left."  After a pause, she added, "I suppose the fact that she did so means that Duval has yet to face justice."  She released a tired sigh.

"And thus, the quest continues."

Ed waited a few moments, then finally mustered the courage to ask her the question that had been on his mind for the past several days.  He feared the answer, but knew he had to face the truth.

"Vash, back when we were merged with the Oni, did you look into my mind?  Did you see any of my memories?"

The gargoyle frowned.  "Your memories were hidden behind walls of stone, wind, fire and ice.  The Oni said you were blocking your mind from me intentionally."  

"No, it wasn't my own doing.  I haven't been able to remember my past; nothing beyond a short stay in London before coming here to the States a few years ago.   I was hoping that you saw something that could give me a clue as to where I'm really from, and what my life used to be like."

Vashkoda looked at him strangely, as if she were seeing him for the first time.   "I did see something.  But I'm not certain whether telling you will do more harm than good."

"Please," he pleaded.  "I have to know.  After what that assassin said to me, and the visions I've been having....  I have to know if it's true, or if I'm actually losing my mind."

Vashkoda looked unhappy about it, but complied.  "Very well.  I don't remember much of it.  An island.  A glowing city.  And strange creatures that moved and talked like men.  If I didn't know from experience that such a city didn't exist there, I might have thought it was Avalon."  She watched him carefully as she spoke, looking for a reaction.

Ed nodded to himself, then offered her a weak smile.  "Thanks."

*    *    *

The gargoyles roared as they roused from their stone sleep.  Malachi and Cairo appeared startled as they took in the sight of the winter forest all around them--a striking contrast to the desert they had just left behind.  But Vashkoda soon recognized it as the woods surrounding Thaylog's mansion.  They were home.

Dog barked happily when he saw that they were awake, then insisted on showing Mal a trail through the trees where a set of human footprints was still visible in the snow.  The path ended at the edge of the wood, intersecting a road back to the city.

"Well, eet seems yourr human friend has grown tired of ourr company," remarked Malachi with a smile.

"Yes," Vash agreed, feeling slightly hurt and confused by Ed's sudden departure.  But what more had she expected?  He was not part of the clan, after all.  Thaylog had merely hired him to watch over them, and Ed had done so.   He went to Egypt to fetch the errant member of the clan, and now he had brought her back.

"It's getting late.  We should hurry and get to the mansion in case Ed left a note with someone that we'd be coming."  Vashkoda doubted that was true, as someone surely would have gone to meet them in the woods, but she was eager to be home.

After a short while, Dog began to whine and look uneasy.  It wasn't long before the rest of them smelled the smoke, and Vashkoda quickened her pace.   Then from a break in the trees, they caught their first glimpse of the wreckage down in the valley below.  They stopped and stared at it from where they stood.   Malachi and Cairo exchanged glances, and looked worriedly at Vashkoda.  Her face betrayed no emotion, but her eyes had become hard and piercing.

"Stay here.  I will be back shortly."  She drew her hood over her face and vanished.  The other two gargoyles waited in silence, their gaze drifting over the field of smoking debris, wondering whether they had done the right thing in coming here.  It wasn't long before Vashkoda returned.

"Did you learn anything?" Cairo asked.

Vash shook her head.  "Any clues or survivors would have been found by the humans who put out the fire."

"Den perhaps we should be asking who would do such a t'ing to yourr clan," said Malachi.  "Dat would at least give us a place to start."

Her eyes widened in realization.  "He did say that he would go after the others, but I never thought he...."  Her words trailed off into silence. 

Cairo reached out give her a quick embrace.  "Your clan is my family too, ancestor.  I will help you find them, or help you avenge their death." 

Malachi drew his sword.  "Dees cowardly act will not go unpunished.  Tell me hees name, so that I may curse hees soul and damn heem to oblivion."

Vashkoda drew a breath of frosty air and turned her gaze toward the city.

"Thailog....  His name is Thailog." 

THE END

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