Volume #28: "The Sword of Ares"

These nights, Brianna found heself spending more and more time in the magic shop with Leo and Una. Maybe it was their closeness to her mate Griff that kept her there ... or maybe it was just that she could feel him, nearly smell him in every panel, board, and book in the place. Whatever it was, she always felt most safe and secure in this place.

Leo had just set down his cup of tea. "Brisk night this one'll be."

Una nodded, agreeing with her mate. "Winter's been upon us for a while, Leo. Why should tonight be worse than any other?"

Brianna shuddered. "I feel it, too. Something's coming ... something cold and dark. Something totally awful."

Leo simply sighed as he picked up his cup once more ...

... but soon his sighs turned into panicked screams as he watched the firefight erupt in the distance. Away from the shop.

At the manor.

Quickly, they split up, trying to distract their attackers. But whether it was their age or their confusion, it never was quite clear; however, they stood not a chance.

With a quick shot, Leo was taken down, falling alongside the prone figures of his fellow clansmen. Another quick blast and Una had also fallen. Brianna sped over to her friend's side, fearful.

"What do I do, Una? I can't fight them alone!"

Una looked up at the younger gargess. "Find ... Griff." Her eyes closed, and the unicorn-like gargess breathed her last.

Brianna found herself with no time to mourn her deceased friend, as another attacker threatened her, pointing a large rifle into her face. Her eyes glowing red, Brianna leaped up, tackling the attacker, and in the same motion pushing off of the giant's body, toward the walls of the manor. Once upon the top of the wall, she launched herself eastward, toward the only thing she knew now.

To New York, the center of the invasion.

And to Griff.

The sun had long since set. At the highest battlements of Castle Wyvern, two older male gargoyles looked over the city, the devastated, invasion-racked city. As they stood there in silence, suddenly Goliath looked over at his companion, the knighted English gargoyle Griff.

"Penny for your thoughts, friend?"

Griff nodded slowly, sadly. "The phone isn't the same, y'know?"

"I don't follow."

Griff turned away from the cityscape. "I'm talking about my mate. The last time I saw Brianna was almost a year ago. Although I spoke with her at Solstice, it's still no substitute for ... y'know ..."

"Her presence. I see now." Goliath put a hand on Griff's shoulder. "I know exactly how you feel, nights without Elisa would seem nearly intolerable for me, and especially those holidays, like Solstice, that she would wind up working on. But I had other family to help me through. I know Rose and Angela were always wonderful company."

Griff smiled sadly. "No such luck for me, my friend. Our egg's at least a year away, so it's just me and Brianna for now."

Goliath perked up at the mention of an egg. "I had no idea, congratulations!"

The two males' reverie was soon interrupted by Rosanna, rushing through the doors, headed not for Goliath, but for Griff.

"We need you downstairs, sir knight. Brianna's here, and she's not doing well."

"Don't get up yet, you're safe."

Brianna sighed. "I don't think anywhere is safe anymore." She forced herself into a sitting position, supporting herself as best as she could with her arms. "Did I make it to Manhattan?"

The gargess seemed confused. "Uh, yeah, we're in Manhattan. Why do you ask?"

At that moment, Griff burst into the room, with Rosanna and Goliath not far behind. He took not a moment's hesitation to rush to his mate, taking her up in a warm embrace. Brianna finally allowed herself to relax, wrapping her own arms around his neck and shoulders.

"Griff ..."

"my love, why are you here? What's happened in London?"

Her happiness suddenly turned to fear. Sadness. Despair.

"Griff, everyone's gone ... all dead ..."

Now it was Griff's turn to be taken aback. "What?"

"Giant attackers came in the night, they had weapons that we couldn't counter ... Leo ... Michael ... Una, oh God, sweet Una ... they all fell!"

Brianna put her face into her mate's chest, letting her tears of sorrow flow. Griff's face also showed his sorrow, but now an edge of anger in the normally light-hearted English gargoyle. He looked over silently at Rosanna.

"We'll leave you for now, Griff. Come on, folks." Rosanna led her father and Arianna out of the room, leaving the grieving couple by themselves.

"All right, I'm up!" He slammed the clock on the floor. "Stupid clock ..."

He stood up, crossing the cold floor and walking up to his window, the one which looked out on the courtyard. With no small level of annoyedness, he opened the curtain.

There was a gargoyle there, grinning.

Jumping back from the window yelling, he finally saw what it was, laughing. "Hi there, Kai." He opened his door, allowing the gargoyle to enter.

"Good evening, Vinnie-san. And how was your day?"

"Ahh, you know how it goes. I don't do much with my days anymore but sleep, y'know? You gargoyles live a life that no human could take, I think."

"I see." Kai seemed distracted.

"What's up, Kai?"

"There seems to be a disturbance off to the east ... near the horizon."

Vinnie squinted his eyes, looking where Kai was. "Ehh, I don't see it."

"You go ahead and get dressed, Vinnie-san. We will see to this."

The attackers left a cold swath of destruction in their path. The Ishimura clan was taken completely by surprise, as their Bushido teachings would not let them fight gargoyles.

On his last breaths, Kai made his way to Vinnie, who stood his ground, a large-bore cannon at the ready.

"Kai ... oh my God, what happened?"

The great gargoyle collapsed at Vinnie's feet. "No time ... my flame dies on this world ..."

"Aww no ..."

Kai reached into his ruined kimono, pulling out a small item which appeared to be like a remote control. He placed it in Vinnie's hand.

"Take this. Find Brooklyn and Sata. Please."

Vinnie nodded, silently. Memories of his buddy Brooklyn, who had moved here about six years ago with his mate, came back to him ... sharing Japanese beers and reminiscing about how Manhattan used to be and was ... the cameraderie that only friends could have.

"I promise, Kai. I'll find them."

Kai smiled at his friend again, collapsing at his feet. Vinnie looked up. From this distance, he could see the attackers, but could avoid detection by them.

He watched them silently, watched them as they raided the temple's rookery, pulling the eggs out and gathering them together. He watched them as they took off, heading back to the east.

There was a slower one among the attackers, who trailed the others. Vinnie saw his chance. He made his way back down to the floor of the temple, sneaking up on the slower one.

However, he crept up on him like a bull creeps up on a matador. The attacker quickly turned around to face the human.

=Stay were you are, human! Hands in the air!=

"Ahh, crud." Vinnie put up his hands, the device Kai had given him still in his hand. The attacker noticed this.

=Drop that device. Now!=

"Sure. Whatever ya say." Before the attacker could do anything about it, Vinnie had pressed a quick key sequence, sending a disrupting signal to the attacker's brain. The scrambled brainwaves were too much for the attacker to take, as he collapsed to his knees.

Vinnie grinned widely. "Now it's my turn!"

In the courtyard of the castle, Rosanna stood with Graeme and Liberty, discussing the situation with Griff and Brianna between themselves. Liberty crouched down until she was at the others' level.

"I would imagine ... that Demona may be trying to eliminate any resistance to her regime. She may be thinking that once the Rokkans take Earth, if she wants to hold control she must have nothing but gargoyles that see their world view like she does."

"Yeah ... through psycho-colored glasses." Graeme's offhand remark brought a scornful look from Rosanna. He looked up at her, pleading, "Well, what do you think she accomplishes by killing the gargoyle clans?!"

"Actually," Rosanna pondered, "I think she's keeping in tune with her past."

Both Graeme and Liberty gave her funny looks. "Come again?"

"Look at Demona's history, folks. She makes alliances that eventually wind up betraying her. True with MacBeth, true with Xanatos, true with Thailog. Something tells me the Rokkans are doing this behind her back, and it won't be pretty when she finds out."

The two gargoyles with Rosanna agreed, nodding. At this moment, though, Griff and Brianna entered the courtyard.

The sight of the giant gargess with Rosanna and Graeme was too much for Brianna. A low growl formed in her throat, as her eyes began glowing brightly. She wrested herself free from her mate's embrace, sprinting to the group and tackling Liberty.

"MURDERER!!" Brianna began savagely tearing into Liberty, now prone underneath the attack. Liberty tried to defend herself, the best she could do being toss off the shorter gargess. Rosanna and Graeme rushed over to hold Brianna back.

"I swear to you, I had nothing to do with the attack that killed them ..."

"LIAR! It was your people who killed them! My clan ... my mate's clan ... everyone I love is GONE BECAUSE OF YOUR PEOPLE!"

"Hey, what am I?" Griff's small joke was lost in the commotion, as he rushed over to where Brianna was being held back. She was now on her knees, her arms still securely held in the grip of Rosanna and Graeme. She was now freshly weeping, these tears more angry than sorrowful. Liberty tried to approach her, but Rosanna motioned her back.

"I'm sorry, Liberty, she's not ready for it yet. Please, let us explain the situation to her first, okay?"

Liberty looked hurt, for the first time that Rosanna had seen. Hurt and sad. She turned and left the courtyard, prompting Graeme to follow her, letting go of Brianna, who was now securely in the embrace of her mate.

She was sitting in the kitchen of the Castle, before the open refrigerator. Eating a pie.

A whole pie.

"Liberty? You okay?"

Graeme slowly approached the giant gargess, splayed on the floor before the appliance. She looked up at him, mouth full.

"I had heard ... that females on Earth ... console themselves with food," she said between swallows. "It doesn't seem to help me much."

Graeme sighed. "I'm sorry, we couldn't have known that she would be so ..."

"Vengeful?" Liberty concluded for him. "And why shouldn't she be? My people destroyed her Clan. For that matter, I'm surprised Griff hasn't lashed out at me yet."

"True ..."

"Let's see things realistically here. I was a Rokkan. As far as anyone is concerned, I am still a Rokkan, despite any magicks or technologies that make me otherwise. And I will always be a Rokkan, even if we win ... despised, hated ..."

"No, Liberty, you won't be hated by everyone. We like you. Rosanna must have, if she saved you."

Liberty sighed, looking at Graeme painedly. "Rosanna's told me of the gargoyles' reason for existence, to protect. She's told me of the time it took for Earth's gargoyles to be accepted. How long do you think it will take humanity to accept me?"

Graeme could only sit there, watching her. And then something Liberty did something she never had done before.

She cried.

Graeme let her lean into him, putting his arms around her, trying to comfort her.

Zafiro looked off to the horizon from his post on the Clan's pyramid. He thought he saw something approaching, but then again the shadows of this place tended to play tricks on the eye. Obsidiana soon approached him.

"Trouble, amigo?"

"Maybe. Look there."

She followed Zafiro's point to where a large shadow was forming, a huge mass of what looked like a squadron of planes.

"Why do they continue to threaten the Green? Have they not learned after years and years of conflict?"

"Amigo ... they're not attacking the trees."

Zafiro looked over at Obsidiana. "They're not?"

Her eyes widened with panic. "They attack us!"

"Enter." The door opened, and the sentry came into the room, approaching its three occupants. He focused his march on the center occupant behind the desk.

Demona.

=The attack party over South America has reported. All South American clans have been neutralized.=

Demona nodded, looking up at Samson. "Brilliant idea, my grandson. This operation goes well."

Samson nodded. "Of course it would. I knew it from the start."

The figure on Demona's other side, the engineered hybrid Thorn, had her own questions. =Any confirmed survivors?=

=None. But there are unconfirmed reports of one survivor from London and one from Ishimura.=

=Confirm them, then!= Thorn's temper began to get the better of her, as her eyes glowed. Demona placed an arm on Thorn's hand.

"Now is not the time, Thorn." She turned back to the sentry. "And the eggs?"

=The eggs that have been collected are in the ship's lab. There are a few that are days away from hatching, others are years away.=

"I see. Continue monitoring, and keep me appraised."

The sentry nodded, turning on his heel and marching out of the office. Demona stood up, opening the window behind her, out into the ruined city of New York.

"And now, the sword of Ares takes aim on you, Rosanna. And you will fall, just as all the others have."