"New Beginnings"
by Lisette- send all comments to:  Lisette_1@mailexcite.com

All of the usual legalese... Gargoyles belongs to Disney and/or Buena Vista 
Television.  In no way was I trying to do something that requires legal 
action to be filed against me.  I, like everyone else out there who reads on
the archive, just love the show Gargoyles, and this is the way to keep it 
alive in our mind.  Please don't sue me!  I'm making no money what so ever 
off of this.  Also, some of the words used within are taken from "An den 
Mond" (To the Moon) and "Wenn ich ein Vögel wär" (If I a Bird Could Be), two 
German folk songs that were arranged by William Bausano.  Yet another also, a
big thanks to Skydancer for some of the quotes!

Dedication:  Once again I must dedicate this fic to my clan, Clan le' femme..
all of them are wonderful authors who deserve a lot of credit and supply a 
lot of support for me.. and odly enough, there's now a listing on the archive
listed to Clan le' Femme.. *shocked amazement* How odd! ;p If you want to 
check out some truly awesome stories with a few original characters, check it
out!  Most of the clan's featured members have either posted or soon shall 
(in other words, I've finally finished this monster of a fic and can start 
playing around with new ideas again!)  Feel free to check it out and enjoy!
Also, a special thanks to one special friend for allowing me to bounce ideas
off of him.. not to mention with all of the technical help involved in the 
story!  Thanks hon!

Warning: This story can be pretty intense at times.. not for younger viewers-
er, I mean readers! :-)  Also, just a slight warning in the fact that this is
a continuation of the Talika saga.. if you haven't read that, you may have a
bit of trouble following this story! :)

Brief Description:  The past forgotten is about to resurface its ugly head
for Talika and the clan.

*****************************************************************************

                    "Decisions"
     
     Imagine the day when the world finally does come to and end.  Imagine
the feelings of sorrow, courage, despair, fright, hatred, and love that will
be felt by the general populous in their final days before imminent death.  
Now imagine the sobs of a young mother who listens to her lonely baby's wail
as she realizes for the first time that there will be no tomorrow or future
for her child--no chance.  Now watch as an aging man sacrifices his life by
shoving a young boy out of the path of a speeding car when he knows that the
boy will be dead by nightfall anyway, but not caring because he knows that
any time is better than none.  And now watch as a middle aged man with a
loving family at home is so filled with desperation that he purposely throws
himself in front of that same speeding car, so eager to end his pain that he
can't wait for night to fall on the city.  And watch as his next door 
neighbor chooses instead to return to  his family to comfort and be comforted
in his last moments by his family.  And listen to an old woman's scream of 
pain, outrage, and fright as she is first mugged for ten dollars and then 
senselessly shot by a teenage girl that has lost all respect for the life of
others-knowing that soon she will be joining her innocent victims.  And now I
want you to watch and listen as two desperate individuals find comfort and 
love in each other's arms--all the while whispering tear-wrought promises to
find each other in the next life--convinced that the power of their love will
conquer all... In a world so devastated and filled with pain, it is up to 
each person to decide how they will live out their final hours:  in sorrow,
heroics, despair, hatred, or in love.  Your life is what you make it and only
you can decide.

                                   ~Jennifer Heard
     
*****************************************************************************

                    "New Beginnings"

Egypt - Present Day
     Grunting, the group of hired workers strained to lift the heavy slab
of stone that lay imbedded in the soft sand with the aid of pulleys and steel
wires.  "Pull men, pull!" urged another man, standing back from the group in 
the shade of a tent, protected from the hot desert sun.  They had been 
working this particular site for weeks, searching for yet another lost tomb 
in the sea of sand that covered Egypt.  Weeks and weeks that were spent using
up a grant given by one of the large universities back in the states.  Still,
Harold Osborne was convinced that despite the fact that as of yet nothing had
been found, that soon they would make a discovery so great as to outshine 
even the discovery of King Tut's tomb.  In all truth, they had to or else the
good name of Professor Osborne would be slain and never again would a grant
for research be so easily won.
     With a final grunt of protest, the strong Egyptian workers heaved the
large slab up from the ground and swung it away from their dig, causing it to
fall heavily to the ground.  As the sand and dust flew, workers and 
archaeologists turned away quickly, covering their eyes from the blinding 
storm.  When the sand finally settled, Osborne carefully took his hand away
from his face and stepped quickly out of the shade of the tent and towards 
the dig.  There had to be something here--there had to be.  There was no 
other logical reason--why else would such a large and carefully carved slab
be laying out in the middle of the desert?  When their digging had first 
uncovered the slab, they quickly set to work clearing the sand away from all
sides till it was revealed that the slab, which was about nine feet long and
about five feet wide, was in fact a lid of some sort covering a stone box of
the same dimensions.  While his curiosity and excitement grew, the group of
experienced archaeologists quickly began digging deeper and deeper until the 
mystery grew.  Now the hole around the stone box was four feet wide and ten 
feet deep, with no signs of anything but the box that was now ten feet tall.
Finally, the decision was made that while the strange writing on the lid, 
which was also a mystery seeing as how it didn't seem to resemble any sort of
writing known to man, continued to be deciphered, the group of hired workers 
would see if they could remove the lid.  Which led up to now.
     With excitement burning in his eyes, Osborne reached the edge of the
dig and quickly climbed the ladder down into the hole surrounding the stone
box.  As the workers quietly stepped aside, Osborne stepped towards the 
ladder, his knees shaking with every step as he slowly, slowly climbed up the
ladder that would lead him to the greatest discovery of all times--or so he
hoped.  Seconds later, he reached the top and tentatively looked over the 
side and into the opened box.
     "Well, Harold, what do you see?!" one of Osborne's fellow 
archaeologists yelled from the tent, a bright smile on her face.
     "I.. I.. I see a dark hole!" Harold yelled out in confusion as he
turned back towards the gathered workers and co-workers.
     "What do you mean?" someone else called out in confusion.
     "The stone on top here is only a foot thick on each side, and on the 
inside it's been smoothed till it feels as smooth as glass," Harold described
as he gently rubbed his hand over the smooth stone.  "The light of the sun
reaches down about ten to fifteen feet and it all looks exactly the same.. I 
can't see the bottom!"   
     "But.."
     "Here, pass me up a rock or some sand!" Osborne called out suddenly,
as he turned and looked down at one of the workers below.
     Nodding his head, the young Egyptian who was fortunate enough to 
speak English quickly scavenged the ground and sand till he found a good 
sized rock and then climbed up the ladder till he stood beneath the Professor
and passed up his find.
     Without another word, Osborne snatched up the rock and returned to
the edge of the box.  Leaning as far over as he dared, he then hushed for 
silence before dropping the rock into the box.  In the dead silence, everyone
listened for the tell tale sound of the rock hitting the bottom.. and waited,
and waited.  Finally, Osborne gave up and turned back to his colleagues with
wide eyes.  "If we couldn't hear the stone hit the bottom, then this thing 
must be over a hundred to two hundred feet deep.. probably a couple of miles!
But.. that's impossible!" Osborne yelled out, the confusion clear in his
eyes.  "Who would build a stone box like this that's that deep.. and it must
be man made because how else could the walls become this smooth or the box 
this proportional?" he muttered, thinking out loud as he puzzled over the 
idea.
     "Professor Osborne!  Professor Osborne!" someone called out as they 
ran past the group of archaeologists, heedless of the happenings around him.
     "What is it, Jeffrey?" Harold asked absently to the graduate student
that called out to him, his mind still firmly rooted to the mystery of the 
box. 
     "We've got a partial translation of the writing on the..." Jeffrey 
began, trailing off as he finally noticed the open box.  "You got the slab 
off!" he exclaimed in excitement.
     "You have a translation?  But.."
     "It turned out that the language is an extremely ancient form of 
hieroglyphs mixed with a few other languages... in any case, the partial 
translation reads something like 'Beware all those who try to..' we think 
that the next word is something like desecrate, 'the resting place of..' and 
then we don't know about whose it is yet or much else after that.  Although 
it does seem to be warning about evil, genocide, and something about some 
kind of matter..."
     "And that's all?" Osborne asked, scrunching his eyebrows together as
the mystery grew.  "Well, it must be a tomb then.. but why would it be so 
incredibly deep?"
     "Maybe it would be better, sir, for you to close up the box and leave
it as it was found," the young Egyptian who passed up the stone spoke 
quietly, his eyes wide with fear.
     "Don't be foolish young man.  All tombs that have been discovered up
to date have had some similar warning on their doors..."
     "No sir, there is something different about this tomb, and I suggest
that you replace the lid before the evil is let out..."
     At this comment, both Osborne and the rest of his colleagues burst 
into laughter.  "Young man, I can guarantee you that there is no sort of evil
surrounding this mystery here.. if there is anyone down there, I can 
guarantee you that he has been dead for quite a long time," Osborne stated
firmly as he turned and once more looked down the long box.  Still, the man's
words rang in his ears as he noticed for the first time that the box was now
six-seven feet long and three feet wide... the usual proportions of a coffin.
As a shiver ran through his aging bones, the Professor began to turn away 
from the opening once more when a flash of light from below caught his eye.
Gasping, he turned quickly and stared rigidly down into the hole as the light
grew brighter and brighter, closer and closer towards him.
     Seeing his rigid posture, one of the archaeologist stepped away from
the tent and closer towards the hole that surrounded the box.  "Harold?  
What's wrong?  What do you see?" her voice trembling while a cold coil of 
fear wrapped itself around her spine.
     Unable to answer, Osborne continued to watch with growing fascination
and horror as the green light grew brighter in intensity until Harold knew 
that it was now only a few feet below him.  Soon the light and glow was 
evident for all to see, causing a panic to go up among the workers to 
struggled and rushed for the ladders leading out of the pit, sure that the 
Devil himself was rising out of the pits of Hell to greet them.
     "Harold!  Get away!" she screamed as the light grew brighter and 
brighter.. the green eerie light that had no place in the middle of the 
desert.  As she watched in horror, Harold remained where he was till the glow
of light left the box and surrounded him.  With a blood curdling scream, he
was then lifted into the air above the box until he was laid out flat on his
back, floating in mid air.  Still screaming bloody mary, the green light then
lowered, taking Professor Harold Osborne with it, a look of horror fixed 
upon his face.

*****************************************************************************

     Screaming out, Osborne could do nothing as the green light carried
him further and faster down the dimensions of the box.  Unable to do nothing
but watch the sunlight slip further and further from him till darkness 
surrounded him; darkness that was only broken by the eerie green light.
Suddenly, seconds, minutes, hours, or days later--which he had no idea--he 
stopped ascending and was laid gently on his back on a cold, stone floor.
Breathing heavily in the purest form of fright he had ever experienced, 
Osborne quickly jumped to his feet and surveyed his surroundings.  From what
he could tell, he seemed to be in some sort of large room with carvings
similar to those found on the lid written on all of the stone walls.  His
curiosity getting the better of him, Professor Osborne moved closer to the
walls and attempted to read the hieroglyphics--which was when another mystery
came to life:  where was the light that made him able to inspect these 
writings coming from?  Fear growing once more, Harold quickly turned and saw 
the source of light seemed to be coming from the far end of the chamber.  Not
knowing why he did, Osborne began to slowly walk across the chamber, noticing
how the floor and walls were unnaturally smooth.. as smooth as glass, and 
that all of the walls were perfectly straight and perpendicular to the floor.
Not even a modern day architect could make such a perfectly dimensional room
such as the kind he was walking in.. a room that probably dated back to the
earliest times.  Shaking his head, Osborne continued walking across the large
chamber... finally the light source was revealed.  Torches.. lit torches 
lined the walls in this end of the chamber.. perfectly lit torches where 
there was no breeze to cause them to shift or move... perfectly still flames
burning straight up into the air, causing no smoke to cloud and choke him.
Mystified, Osborne turned once more and saw the real mystery of the chamber:
against the far wall of the chamber stood a raised dais with what looked like
a stone box that was what seemed to be the perfect dimensions of the interior
of the corridor in which he descended.  
     "The tomb.. I'm in the tomb and this must be the coffin," Professor
Osborne whispered, his eyes lighting up.  All thoughts of escape from this 
place, the glowing light that brought him down all that ways, and of the 
warning of evil and genocide fled his mind as the blinding curiosity of the
past replaced it.  Walking across the room, Harold gently laid his hands upon
the smooth surface of the coffin, marveling at all of the intricate writings
that lay across the lid.  As he traced his hands over the lid and down the
sides, he noticed a seam that marked the end of the lid and the beginning of
the actual coffin.  Smiling, Osborne began pushing against the lid with all 
of his strength, all of the rules and procedures of archaeology forgotten as
the stone grated further and further until it crashed to the ground, breaking
instantly into pieces.  Had Harold's attention not been focused on the 
contents of the tomb but on the lid itself, he would have noticed one final
warning.. a gathering of the green energies across the lid until all of the
carvings blended into one flickering word:  EVIL, before that too disappeared
and left the lid bare of anything.
     But Professor Harold Osborne's focus wasn't on the lid, and instead
was fixed firmly to the contents of the coffin.  Inside the coffin lay a body
covered by a shroud of white, making the details completely obscure.  And on
top of the shroud, laying where the chest of the body would be, was a large
angel.. or was it an angel?  Osborne couldn't tell, because even though it 
was shaped like an angel, it was like nothing was there.  The object was
black.. but it wasn't really black either.. it was like the absence of light.
All light cast by the torches seemed to be absorbed by the object creating a
void of emptiness in the shape of an angel.  With shaking hands, Osborne 
slowly reached out to the object and touched it with one finger.. and was 
amazed to discover that it had substance.  He could feel it and touch it and
define its shape with his hands, but he couldn't feel any texture whatsoever.
It looked as though he was touching nothing, but it was something because it
was outlined by the white shroud.  Grinning like a fool, the professor slowly
reached out both hands until they were gripping the angel firmly.  As he then
lifted it from the shrouded body, and as the angel finally left its resting
place against the cool shroud, a sense of evil so great overwhelmed Osborne
and wrapped itself around his belly.  It was then that the last word of his
student's warning came to mind.. came to mind to late.  The lid up top warned
not to touch some sort of matter.... now the Professor knew what it was 
referring to.. dark matter.  The dark matter that was the last and only 
defense against the evil that should never be removed.  And then as the 
shrouded body lifted itself with its own strength from the coffin--the body
that should have been dead after being laid to rest here for centuries..
millenniums--Professor Harold Osborne cursed himself and all the workers who
helped to unleash this evil... the last thought that Professor Harold Osborne
ever knew.

*****************************************************************************

New York City - two months later
     As the doors slid open to accommodate the flow of people entering and
leaving the busy airport, a young woman parted from the crowd to stand alone
on a small piece of sidewalk.  Turning around in circles, the woman stared in
wide-eyed amazement at the towering piles of steel that stretched farther up
than the clouds, the roaring traffic, and the crowds of people.  Sure, she 
had seen the crowded city of Paris before, but absolutely nothing--not the 
pictures or the news reports--could prepare her for the large-no, huge 
buildings that imposed over the busy streets of Manhattan.
     "Skyscrapers," the young woman whispered, her musical voice trying
out the word she recalled from some books that she had read.
     It didn't take long for a curious New Yorker to catch sight of the 
obviously overwhelmed young woman.  Nudging her companion, she jerked her
head in the woman's direction and whispered, "Foreign tourist!"
     "How can you tell?" her friend hissed back as she casually gave the
woman a once over.
     "Oh come on, it's obvious!" her friend exclaimed, forgetting to
whisper.  "I mean, just look at her!  That hair, that face.. it's so 
obvious!"
     Turning, the friend gave the young woman a closer look.  She looked 
to be in her early twenties, with long pale blond hair that fell in a
straight wave down her back.  She was average height, about 5'7" with a slim
frame that was modestly covered under a baggy pair of blue jeans and a white
tee-shirt.  Her skin was a tan color, and as the woman glanced in her 
direction she saw the most beautiful pair of blue eyes she had ever seen.
Tearing her eyes away from the young woman, the girl turned back to her
friend and said, "Nah.  With that backpack she has slung over her shoulder,
she could pass as a college student.. or a model--she's gorgeous!"
     "Nope, she's a tourist from France--trust me!"
     "Yeah, and how would you know?"
     "First off, have you ever seen a New Yorker look at a skyscraper with
so much awe before?"
     Taking another glance at the woman, the girl turned back to her
companion and said, "You're right, she's a tourist.  But why France?"
     "Her tee-shirt is written in French!" the girl laughed as she ran 
ahead into the crowd.
     Shaking her head, the girl muttered, "How obvious!" before running 
after her friend.
     Turning slightly, the young woman watched as the two girls scurried 
off.  "Thank heavens, I was afraid that they would never stop watching me,"
the woman mumbled with a thick French accent.  "Now, where to?" she said 
quietly as she once more scanned the busy streets.  "I have to find the 
gargoyle clan," she murmured as she waved her hand in the air.  Not even a 
moment passed before a taxi squealed to a halt beside her.  Opening the door,
the young woman quickly hopped into the back seat.
     "Where to?" the cab driver asked as he peered at his new customer
through his rear view mirror.
     "Um.. to the 23rd precinct Police Station," the young woman murmured
as she stared out the window at the tall building of the airport.
     Nodding his head, the guy quickly swerved back into the flow of
traffic.  Glancing back over his shoulder at the beautiful young woman, the
cab driver said, "So, you're French?"
     Startled out of her reverie, the young woman met the cab driver's
kind gaze and said, "How did you know?"
     "When you drive a cab as long as I have, you become pretty good at
picking out accents," he explained casually as he zipped in and out through
the heavy traffic.
     "Ah yes, I am from the province of Bretagne in France."
     "Oh.. well, what's your name, sweetheart?"
     Inwardly cringing at the pet name, the woman offered a tentative
smile before saying, "My name is Lisette."
     "Just call me Harry," he said as he honked the horn at another cab
that cut him off.  "So, what are you doing in New York City... to the 23rd
precinct no less?  Did you know that some crackpots blew that place up about 
a month ago?"
     "Yes, I heard," Lisette replied simply.
     "I mean, they've got the place working again, but what you want
there?  You can't be more than 18 years old!.."
     "Nineteen, actually," Lisette interrupted.
     "Ah, you probably want to meet the gargoyles that supposedly lived
there, huh?" he probed.
     "You could say that," Lisette agreed as her mind drifted back to that
day two weeks ago.
     She had been sitting on t he couch in her small apartment flipping 
through the channels--channel surfing as the Americans called it--when a 
sudden news report caught her eye.  Putting down the remote, Lisette watched
in fascination as a shaky video taken at night showed four gargoyle forms 
jump off of a smoldering, devastated building.  According to the news caster,
in a place called New York City, New York in the United States of America, a
police station was blown up--whatever that meant--by a group of monsters 
called gargoyles.  Right away Lisette discarded the news report as being 
false, for she knew that the gargoyle race was a noble race and could never
have caused the destruction she saw.  Still, the thing that was so important
was the fact that there were gargoyles alive somewhere in the world today.
Ever since her awakening two years ago, she had been waiting to find a 
purpose to this new life that was forced upon her.. now she knew:  she had to
go to this United States and find this clan of gargoyles... it seemed as 
though she had a second chance; and this time you could bet that she wasn't
going to let her inexperience get in the way.. there would be nothing that
would stop her from protecting *this* clan of gargoyles.
     As the days went on, Lisette kept an eye peeled to the news, hoping 
for any word, while she spent the rest of her time diligently studying and
learning the English language.  By the time she saw the next news report five
days later that cleared the gargoyles of all blame of the bombing, Lisette 
found that she could speak English fluently.  Within another week she was on 
a plane for Manhattan.
     "Lisette," the cab driver said.
     Snapping out of her reverie, Lisette noticed two things right away. 
First of all, the cab was no longer moving, and second of all, from the tone
of the cab driver's voice, he had obviously been trying to get her attention
for some time now.  "I am sorry Harry, what were you saying?" Lisette asked
sheepishly.
     "I was just saying that we're here," he answered good naturedly as he
indicated the sidewalk besides the car.
     "Oh, good..." Lisette mumbled as she pulled a small black wallet out
of her backpack.  "How much do I owe you?"
     "$16.50."
     Quickly Lisette dug through her wallet before pushing a twenty dollar
bill into his hand and said, "Thank you Harry, keep the change."
     "Hey thanks!" Harry called out as Lisette climbed from the taxi.  
     Squinting up in the late afternoon sky, Lisette took in the tall 
building before her.  She recognized it instantly from the news casts-the 
23rd precinct.  From outside appearances, she could tell immediately that a
lot of repair work had been done.  Still, Lisette slowly backed up till she
was staring up at the ruins of the clock tower-the gargoyles' apparent home.
     "Horrible, ain't it?"
     "Excuse me?" Lisette asked, looking around to see who had spoken.
     "I said that it's horrible... how they repair the rest of the 
building and don't even touch that old clock tower."
     Turning again, Lisette finally found the speaker-an older African
American officer.  Quickly Elisa scanned his uniform till she found his name
tag.  Officer Morgan.  "Yes, it is," she agreed as she watched him shake his
head slowly before leaving the early night and entered the brightly lit 
building.  
     Shaking her head, Lisette quickly looked up at the towering ruin 
above her and muttered, "Sad indeed," before she straightened her shoulders
and entered the building.  Right away her breath caught in her throat at the
loud bustle found throughout the large squad room.  "Quest-ce que c'est..."
Lisette trailed off in amazement.  Never before had she seen such noise,
movement, and apparent disorganization.  Shrugging her shoulders, Lisette
daintily sidestepped a handcuffed, screeching woman accompanied by a man and
woman wearing blue uniforms.  Scanning the room, she quickly looked around 
for anyone who looked as though they weren't busy and knew what they were 
doing.  To her immense relief, her eyes easily found a familiar face.  Trying
to look as though she belonged there, Lisette quickly moved across the room 
to a cluster of men and women dressed in identical blue uniforms.  "Excuse 
me, Officer Morgan?" she interrupted as she tapped the elder man's shoulder.
     Turning around, Officer Morgan looked at Lisette with a questioning
glance.  "Can I help you miss?" he asked, a smile on his kind face.
     "I'm hoping so," Lisette said, returning his smile.  "I was wondering
if you could tell me how to get up to the clock tower?"
     "The clock tower?!" Morgan asked, crinkling his eyebrows in 
confusion.  "Now why would you want to go up there?  It's a wreck and very 
dangerous.. no one is allowed up there."
     "Oh yes, well I am a reporter and I was given permission to go up 
there and check it out for a story I am doing about the gargoyles..." Lisette
fibbed smoothly.
     "A little young to be a reporter, aren't you?" Officer Morgan asked, 
raising his eyebrows in disbelief.
     "Never too early to start," Lisette quipped quickly.
     "Uh huh, and who was it that gave you permission?"
     "The Captain."
     "Captain Chavez?"
     "Who else?" Lisette agreed.  This wasn't looking good... at this rate
she'd never get the directions.  Just as she was about to tell him never 
mind, the suspicion in his eyes disappeared and his warm smile returned.
     "Well, alright.  All you have to do is go up those stairs behind you,
take a left and then find the door labeled 'supplies.'  Just pull down the 
ladder inside and you're set to go."
     "Thanks!" Lisette replied, smiling gratefully at the elderly officer.
Turning, Lisette hurried away and followed the directions given to her.  A 
couple of minutes later she found herself standing on the glass covered
remains of the clock tower.  Everywhere she looked she saw smashed glass, 
pieces of wood, furniture, and masonry.  Sighing, Lisette shook her head 
sadly at the destruction and moved till she was standing on what must have 
been part of the glass clock face.  There she stared out at the dark and 
starry night, the soft wind blowing through her silky blond hair.  Smiling at 
the peace that welled up within her, Lisette inhaled a deep breath of the 
cool air--and then gagged as the smog and pollution-ridden air filled her 
lungs.  "New York City, not your little village," Lisette chided herself.
     Out of all of the places in Manhattan to search for the clan of 
gargoyles, this was probably the best place to start the search.  Despite the
fact that dozens had probably already gone through the rubble of the 
gargoyles' supposed home, there was still a chance that she may find the one
clue that would lead her to their present hideout.  Turning around, Lisette
quickly surveyed the massive ruins.  Bending down, she carefully picked up
what must have been, at one time, a beautiful mirror.. now just a frame with 
a piece of cracked glass within.  Staring through the dirty glass at her 
reflection, Lisette couldn't help but think back to her own clan and their
home together.. and the destruction that was left in their wake.  Shaking her
head, she quickly put the shattered mirror back on the ground and moved about
the destroyed area.  "No time but the present," she murmured as she dug in.

*****************************************************************************

     Sighing, Elisa moved around the busy squad room, knowing which spots
to avoid from experience.  As she neared Matt and her desks, an audible groan
escaped her lips.  Not only did Matt have the night off, but from the 
unorganized stack of files on her desk space, it was apparent that he also 
left all of his paperwork for her to finish.
     "Hey Detective!"
     Turning around, Elisa managed a small smile for the officer that was
approaching her from across the busy room.  "Hi Morgan."
     "Did Bluestone stick you with the reports again?" Officer Morgan 
asked as he eyed the pile of folders that were balancing precariously on 
Elisa's desk.
     "Yeah.. I guess this is his way of pay back for being gone so much 
last year," Elisa said wryly.  "But what are you still doing here?  I thought
you'd be out on patrol by now!"
     "I should be, but the Captain wants me to go kick a girl out of the
clock tower."
     "Another?" Elisa groaned.  "And here I thought we were done with all
of the people trying to get up there and gawk at the gargoyles' supposed
home!"
     "You and me both," Morgan agreed with a smile.
     "So, how did this girl get up there?"
     "I told her how," Morgan said sheepishly.
     "Morgan!" Elisa laughed, shaking her head in disbelief at her old 
friend.
     "Hey, the girl was really nice, and I didn't think there'd be any
harm in letting her look around while I checked out her story."
     "You're just too nice sometimes," Elisa chuckled as she glanced at 
the waiting paperwork.
     Catching her wary glance, Officer Morgan quickly spoke up.  "Yeah,
maybe I was a little too nice.  I really should be hitting the streets, but 
first I gotta escort the young lady from the premises.. unless you'd be 
willing to put the pile of paperwork off for a couple of minutes and do this
old man a favor?" Morgan trailed off as he looked at Elisa with twinkling
eyes.
     "We both know that it'd be you doing me the favor," Elisa said, 
smiling gratefully at her old friend.  "You go hit the streets and I'll take
care of our curious visitor upstairs."
     "Thank you Detective... and please be gentle; she really was a sweet
kid," Morgan implored with a smile as he started heading for the exit.
     "Aren't I always?" Elisa called after him with a grin.  Still smiling
Elisa turned away from the huge workload and headed to the familiar supply
closet.  Seeing that the ladder was already down, she quickly climbed up into
the shadowy remains of the clock tower.  Peering into the inky darkness, 
Elisa moved until she was standing in the bright moonlight of the clock
remains.  ~Now doesn't this bring back memories?~ Elisa thought wryly as
memories of the time she spent here with the clan and of the night she and
Goliath had ended up at this exact location after being attacked at her 
apartment.  Things would have been so much easier if she only would have 
known then that she was the ageless Talika, protector of the human race, and
with plenty of magic to boot.  Then again, that was the whole point of a 
memory wipe, wasn't it?  To not remember. 
     Shaking her head to clear her thoughts and focusing on the task at
hand, Elisa turned back to face the demolished clock tower.  "Hello?" she
called out, her voice echoing in the demolished abyss.
     "Uh, oui, une minute s'il vous plaît.. I mean, one minute, please!" a
female voice called out from somewhere in the darkness.  Hiding a smile,
Elisa listened as the person stumbled over the debris and into the moonlight.
Surprised, Elisa saw that the 'girl' she was looking for was in fact a 
beautiful young woman with long, pale blond hair.  "Sorry, I was... just..."
the young woman trailed off as she stepped into the moonlight and focused on
Elisa.
     Her own smile faltering under the young woman's intense gaze, Elisa
shook her head once more.  "Hi, uh, listen, you're not allowed up here, so if
you'll follow me, I'll escort you back downstairs..." Elisa trailed off as 
she noticed the shocked expression hadn't changed.  "Hello?" she asked as she
waved a hand in front of her face.
     "You're fey.. no.. not fey.. but something," the young woman said 
quietly, her face screwed up tight in concentration.
     Startled, Elisa stepped back a few paces before she regained her 
composure.  "Excuse me?"
     "I can.. I can sense your magic.. what.. what are you?" Lisette asked
as she stared closely at the woman, taking in every detail through her eyes
and her other 'senses.'
     "I.. um, I'm a detective," Elisa said, finally regaining control of 
her shock.  "Second class, here at the 23rd precinct..."
     "No, that's not what I meant," Lisette said, shaking her head slowly,
I can feel your magic.. but it's not quite that of the 3rd race..." she 
trailed off slowly as she continued to stare at the woman.  Something wasn't
right here.  The woman before her looked nothing more than an ordinary woman,
very beautiful, but still just a human.. but she wasn't.  The dark, tannish
skin, the high cheek bones, the dark eyes, the long black hair, the trim and
fit body, the normal jeans and a jacket... it all looked human, but she 
wasn't.  The woman before her had an audible aura of something else, with 
powerful magic and energy pulsing behind every move.  This 'detective' was
very powerful.. and she couldn't be human.
     "I.. um.." Elisa trailed off, so surprised that she didn't know how 
to answer the young woman's questions.  How could she sense that?
     Luckily for Elisa, an escape route quickly appeared.  "Hey Maza!  You
up there?" a male voice called out from below in the supply room.
     "Uh, yeah..." Elisa said, turning at the sound of the new voice.
     "The Captain is looking for you!"
     "Okay, I'll be right down!" Elisa yelled back, her eyes returning 
once more to the mysterious young woman.  "Listen.. I have to go back 
downstairs, but I want you to wait here for me," Elisa said quietly as she
met the young woman's direct gaze.
     "But.."
     "Listen.. uh..."
     "Lisette," the young woman supplied quickly, a small frown appearing
on her face.
     "Okay Lisette.  I want you to wait here for me.. I'll be back soon,"
Elisa said as she started moving towards the ladder leading down to the dark
supply room.
     "But I need to find the gargoyles!" Lisette called out as she
followed the detective.
     Stopping abruptly, Elisa turned to face the young woman, throwing her
off because of the quick stop.  "What?"
     "I came here to find the gargoyles.. can you help me, Detective 
Maza?" Lisette asked, flashing a small grin at the older woman.
     Looking into her crystal blue eyes, Elisa was amazed at the depth
found within.. it was like looking into a bottomless pit.  Shaking her head,
Elisa broke her gaze and started backing down the ladder.  Stopping at a half
way point, Elisa looked back up at the shadowy figure of Lisette.  "Listen,
just wait right here for me.. I'll be back as soon as I can get away and then
we can talk.  Alright?"
     Sighing, Lisette nodded curtly and mumbled, "Fine, I'll wait here for
you.. but please hurry."
     Smiling, Elisa continued down the ladder and called out, "I'll be 
right back!" before closing the door of the supply room behind her.
     Sighing once more, Lisette turned away from the ladder and moved till
she was once more staring out into the dark night from the open face of the
clock tower, dropping her backpack on the floor beside her.  What was going 
on?  She should be out in the night searching for the gargoyle clan.. then 
again, maybe this Elisa Maza would be able to help her find them.  And even 
if she didn't know about the gargoyles, it would still be worthwhile to find 
out exactly what she was; maybe she knew of her mother...  "No, my mother is 
dead.." Lisette murmured to herself as she stared out into the dark night 
sky.
     Suddenly, a flash of red caught her eye.  Turning, Lisette studied
dark night carefully, searching for what had caught her attention.  There it
was again.  Turning, Lisette strained her eyes, trying to make out what she
was seeing.  Just at that moment, the moon decided to make a sudden 
appearance from behind its cloud cover, revealing the shape she had been 
trying to see.  "A gargoyle.." Lisette breathed out, watching the form in
amazement.  
    Now she was left with a decision.. should she wait for the mysterious 
detective to return, or should she chase after the gargoyle that she saw?  It
didn't take long for Lisette to decide on the gargoyle.. that was her main 
purpose in being here, after all.  Besides, she had a strange feeling that 
she would be running into the detective again.. and she always knew where she
could find her.  
    Moving quickly, Lisette quickly mumbled something in French and then in a
flash of green light her form changed: her form lengthened about half a foot,
her skin turned light blue, her blond hair turned even paler till it was 
almost white, her jeans and tee shirt was replaced by a white halter top and 
loincloth, and she grew talons, wings, and a tail.  Smiling at her luck, 
Lisette turned and jumped from the edge of the clock tower, her wings 
catching her easily and lifting her high into the dark night sky.  It had 
been quite a while since she had done this.. glided on the dark currents of 
the night.  Not since that night so long ago.. the last night she had glided 
with her clan--the night before their destruction.  Looking down at the city 
streets below, Lisette marveled once more at the gift that she had.  "If it 
was not for you mother, I would not be able to see the world as I now do," 
she mumbled as a warm current of air carried her higher into the night sky.  
Clearing her mind once more, Lisette turned and followed the air currents, 
straining to catch up to the gargoyle she had spotted.

*****************************************************************************

     Moving through the crowded hallway, Elisa hurried past the throng of
people, sidestepping crooks, cops, and lost civilians.  After a few more 
twists and turns she finally arrived at her destination:  Captain Maria 
Chavez's office.  Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Elisa lifted up her
hand and knocked on the closed door. 
     "Come in," was the hardened reply that she received.
     Forcing a smile on her face, Elisa opened the door and stepped into 
the cluttered office.  "You called for me, Cap?"
     "Yes I did.  Where have you been?" Captain Chavez said as she looked
up at Elisa through narrowed eyes, the paperwork she had been working on 
temporarily forgotten.
     "I told Morgan that I'd escort the girl who was snooping around in
the clock tower to the door," Elisa said truthfully, her usual half smirk 
showing through.
     "Uh huh.  That's good.. so what are you going to do now?"
     "Um, excuse me?" Elisa said, completely caught off guard.
     "Well, when I came in here tonight, I couldn't help but notice the 
pile of late paperwork that was stacked on your desk.  You were about to tell
me that you were going to spend the majority of tonight finishing that up and
then finally turning it in, right?" Chavez asked, an evil glint in her eyes.
"Unless you've somehow managed to finish all of that work in the last few
minutes?" she asked archly as she crossed her arms and waited for an answer.
     "No, I was just..."
     "Stop.  I don't want to hear it.  Whatever it is, it can wait.  Right
now I want you to get your little butt back to your desk and finish that
paperwork!"
     "But Cap..."
     "No 'buts,'" Chavez quickly interrupted as she stood up from her seat
and leaned across the desk, her hard eyes meeting Elisa's.  "I'm not stupid
Detective, I know of the little game that you and Bluestone play--always 
leaving the dirty work for the other one.  Well, you're here now, so you're
stuck with it!"
     "And that was just what I was planning on doing," Elisa said with a 
sigh as she turned away from the Captain and left her office.  Trudging 
across the busy squad room to her desk, Elisa couldn't help but look towards
the ceiling and say, "Guess my mystery woman there will have to wait," she
muttered as she took off her red jacket, rolled up her black sleeves and
turned back towards her desk... and looked down in shock.  Next to the huge
pile of paperwork that was scattered on her desk sat a long and narrow white
box.  
     Surprised, Elisa slowly drew the box closer to her as she turned to 
survey the busy squad room.  Everything looked normal.  Curious, Elisa slowly
reached out and opened the lid of the box and gasped.  Within the box lay 
three of the most beautiful red roses she had ever seen in all of her very 
long existence lying on white cotton.  Exhaling slowly, Elisa reached her 
hand down tentatively and picked up one of the three roses and held it to her
nose.  It was a perfect rose.  
     Suddenly, one of the long and sharp thorns stabbed into her delicate 
skin, causing her to cry out in pain as the rose tumbled back down to her 
desk.  While holding her hand protectively in her hand, Elisa looked around 
quickly, and was relieved to see that the sound of her cry had been covered 
up by the loud squad room.  Turning her head, her long black hair trailing 
down her back, Elisa looked down at her hand and watched as the wound healed 
quickly, leaving only a small smear of blood where the wound once stood.  
     "Man, if anyone ever saw something like that happen, my cover would 
be blown," Elisa thought worriedly to herself.  She just couldn't afford to 
get hurt in front of anyone, because now that she was in her body, the body 
of Talika then protector instead of a mortal's body, she couldn't control her
healing.  If she received any sort of wound, it would instantly heal up, no
matter if she wanted it to or not.  The mortal body of Elisa Maza that could
receive wounds and sustain them was dead and gone forever.
     Shaking her head, Elisa turned back to her desk and saw that the 
white cotton lying beneath the three red roses now had a drop of blood: her
blood from the wicked thorn.  For some reason, the roses no longer looked 
beautiful, but ominous instead.  Shaking her head once more, Elisa quickly
closed the lid of the box and pushed it aside, turning once more back to the
large stack of paperwork; she would ask Goliath about the roses later.. after
all, even though he was asleep now, he could have found someway to deliver 
the roses.. who else would have given them to her?

*****************************************************************************

Somewhere over Manhattan
     "Argh!  This isn't getting me anywhere!" Lisette groaned in 
frustration.  She had been doing her best to catch up to the mysterious 
gargoyle for the last half hour.  Instead, it seemed that despite her best
effort, she was only managing to follow her and maintain the distance between
them.  "Yep, it definitely has been a while!" she huffed as she strained her
tired wings.  Suddenly she had an idea.  "If I can't catch up to her, then I
might as well go in front of her!" Lisette huffed.  Quickly she stopped
moving and began to hover over the dark streets below.  Murmuring something
quickly in a mix between French and Latin, Lisette then began to glow a 
bright green.  When the glow dissipated from around her, she found herself
standing on the rooftop of a building in her human form.  Turning around
quickly, she quickly caught sight of the gargoyle.  From this close, she 
could tell that the gargoyle was female, with blue skin and wild red hair.
     "Hey!" Lisette yelled, jumping onto her tip toes and she started 
waving her hands in the air wildly above her.  "Hey!  Over here!"
     Startled, the blue gargoyle looked down and saw the young woman 
waving frantically at her.  "Humans!" Demona growled in hate as she stared 
down at the beautiful young woman.  She was still in the process of trying to
eliminate all of the humans of the world, but it didn't hurt to kill this one
now.  Smiling evilly, Demona descended quickly in the night sky till she 
landed a few feet away from the annoying human woman.
     "Hi!" Lisette huffed, trying to catch her breath.  "I didn't think 
that I'd ever be able to get your attention!" 
     "Oh, you got my attention all right, *human*!" Demona growled as she
reached behind her and unslung her laser gun from around her back.
     Confused at the venom in the gargoyle's voice, Lisette backed up a 
few paces and stared at the gargoyle.  Already she could see the gargoyle's 
eyes light up in a flash of red--never a good sign when dealing with a 
gargoyle, for that usually signifies anger.  "What.. what's wrong?" Lisette
stuttered as she watched the gargoyle take something out from behind her 
back.  The object was about two to three feet long and made from a black 
metal-she had never seen anything like it.
     "Die you foolish human!" Demona screamed out as she pulled the
trigger on the device and an arc of deadly red light shot out and crossed the
distance between them, intercepting once with the human's right shoulder.
     Screaming out in pain, Lisette quickly fell to the ground.  Gaping up
at the gargoyle that now towered over her, she gently lifted her hand up and
pressed it against her shoulder, whimpering as the pain flared through her
shoulder.  Pulling it away quickly, Lisette was amazed and horrified to see
that her hand was now covered in blood-her blood.
     Laughing maniacally, Demona raised the gun once more and aimed it at 
the young human's head.  "And another one bites the dust," she whispered
quietly as her finger began to tighten once more on the trigger...  
     This couldn't be happening.  This couldn't be a gargoyle before her!
Gargoyles were born to protect, it was a part of their nature!  But all that
this gargoyle seemed capable of was destruction--her destruction at the
moment.  Quickly Lisette felt her eyes begin to burn a bright green as her 
pain and fear began to change into a blinding anger.  In a sudden burst of 
magic, Lisette sent the startled gargoyle flying across the rooftop where she
landed in a pile, instantly knocked unconscious.
     "Bitch," Lisette mumbled, recalling the one word that she had heard
so often since her arrival.. most commonly used in a negative tone of voice
towards women.  She had no real idea of what it meant, but she imagined that
it wasn't good.  Straining, Lisette slowly got to her feet, crying out in 
pain as even that small movement caused her shoulder to burn.  As the tears
stung her eyes, Lisette moved across the roof until she was standing over the
evil gargoyle's body.  "Je te n'aime pas, donc, tu dois aller à l'Antarctica
maintenant!" (I don't like you, therefor, you should go to Antarctica now!) 
she whispered harshly as a green glow overtook her blue eyes once more.  As 
the green dissipated, so did the evil gargoyle that had attacked her.  
     Instantly a pang of guilt popped up within her.  "But, elle était 
mal!" she reasoned with herself in her native tongue.  "Yes, but what if she 
wasn't really evil and was just so due to circumstances?" she questioned 
herself, forcing herself to speak in English.  Shaking her head, Lisette 
decided to worry about it later.  
     Crying out, Lisette clutched her shoulder with her already bloody 
hand, any slight movement causing pain now.  Gritting her teeth, she searched
the rooftop for her backpack before realizing that she had left it back at 
the clock tower.  "Great, just great.  And where is the clock tower now, oh 
stupid one?" she asked herself as she turned in a circle and surveyed her 
surroundings.  Everywhere she looked she saw building after tall building, 
all looking the same and none looking familiar.  "With my arm hurt, I'll 
never be able to glide back to the clock tower, and without my bag, I have no 
money which means I can't take a cab or anything to help stop the bleeding on
my shoulder," Lisette said in frustration as she realized how much her 
predicament really did suck.  "Now I'm stuck somewhere in New York City, 
which is probably as big as Paris, with no idea where I am, hurt, no money, 
and no way to get back to the only place where I actually knew someone!" she 
ground out, wishing all the more that she would have stayed at the clock 
tower like the detective has asked her to.  
     "But whining about it won't help the situation any," she countered to 
herself once more.  Looking around the deserted rooftop, Lisette found what 
she was looking for on the far corner:  a clothesline with two big sheets 
draped over it.  Grimacing at the throb in her shoulder, Lisette moved slowly
across the roof and then gently ripped off a piece of the sheet.  Steeling 
herself  against the pain, she then tied it tightly around her wounded 
shoulder.  "I don't think it will hold for long, but maybe it will at least 
stop the bleeding for now," she reasoned.  
     "And now time to get down from here," she said firmly as she walked 
to the edge of the building and looked down to the ground.  "Since I can't 
very well just teleport myself back to the clock tower, I guess that I'll 
just have to walk," she reasoned as she quickly cast a spell that placed her 
on the sidewalk five stories below.  Life would be so much easier if she 
could just teleport herself wherever she wished to go, but when she was a 
child, she quickly learned that it didn't work that way.  Before she could 
teleport herself from one place to another, she first had to travel that 
distance herself and she also had to know where they were located.  Well, she
did travel this distance herself, but she had no idea where she was or how to
get back there, so the second part just wasn't fulfilled.
     Turning, Lisette lifted her head high and began to walk along the
deserted sidewalk; where to, she had no idea, but at least she was going 
somewhere.  That was a good question though, where would she go now?  Did she
even need to go back to the clock tower and the detective there?  Maybe to 
get her bag, but that was it.  Her purpose here in New York City was no 
longer.  All this experience with this gargoyle did was prove to her that not
all gargoyles were as kind and as good as her clan back in France.  But they 
were nothing more but dust that lived on in her memories.  The clan here in 
Manhattan was obviously nothing like them.. they were evil and cruel.. maybe
they did have something to do with the bombing of the clock tower.  The 
menace in that gargoyle's eyes was enough to make Lisette believe anything.. 
not since the Roman's had she seen such hate in a person's eyes.  But now 
what?  Her whole reason for being here in New York City was to find a purpose
with this new clan.  Should she go back to Bretagne?  But what was there?  
Definitely not the existence that she wanted.. alone with her memories.  
Alone.  That was what she was feeling.  Her dreams had been shattered once 
more and now she was alone with her destroyed hope and her memories.  Now
she was in a new world with no home, no friends, and no one to love her--she
had never felt more alone in her life... not even when she awoke in the cave,
confused and disoriented with her father's dusty remains laying on the floor
beside her.  She was all alone now.

*****************************************************************************

NYPD 23rd Precinct
     Sighing, Elisa turned off the computer and closed the folder that she
had been working on.  Turning, she put the folder on the now-organized stack
of files that had been laying on her desk.  "Done," she mumbled with a small
smile as she picked up the heavy load and moved it over to Matt's desk.  
"I'll just let him take care of filing it!" Elisa said with a grin as she got
up from her chair and stretched her stiff muscles.  Leaning down, she then
grabbed her red coat from over the chair, slipped it on, and then moved down
the hallway, up the stairs, and to the supply closet.  "Time for some 
answers," she murmured as she pulled down the ladder and climbed them until
she was once more standing in the devastated clock tower.  "Hello!?" Elisa 
yelled as she surveyed the dark wreck.  "Lisette?"
     Silence was her only answer.  "Where did she go?" Elisa asked herself
as she surveyed the dark ruins.  Turning towards the open clock face, a piece
of black cloth caught her eye.  Moving closer, Elisa saw that it was the back
pack that the young woman had slung over her shoulder earlier.  Bending down,
Elisa knelt before the heavy sack, her conscious weighing against her 
curiosity.  Eventually, her curiosity won out.  Looking around the ruins to
make sure that she was alone, Elisa gently reached down and opened the zipper
on the large part of the bag.  After digging around for a couple of minutes,
she found nothing of interest:  a disc man, cds, batteries, a couple of 
novels, three candy bars, a bottle of water, and a wind breaker.  Sighing, 
Elisa then moved to the smaller pocket.  There she hit the jackpot.  
     Inside she found a hairbrush, gum, a pen, a small notebook with the 
address of the precinct on it, a small dark blue velvet pouch, a passport, 
and a small black leather wallet.  Smiling at her luck, Elisa first opened 
the billfold.  Right away she found a wad of French and American money, which
together totalled more than $50,000 US dollars.  "At least I can be sure that
she had enough money to survive here in New York City... although right now 
she's sitting without this money," Elisa thought worriedly to herself.  After
checking the pockets of the billfold and finding nothing else, she then moved
to the French passport.  According to the information there, the young woman 
that she had met earlier was really Talia Seul.  "Talia Seul.. Talia Alone.." 
Elisa murmured, relying on her knowledge of the French language to translate 
the meaning of the last name.  She was born on June 25, 1979, making her 19 
years old, in the province of Bretagne in France.  "Why would she lie to me 
about her name?.. unless that her name really isn't Talia Seul," Elisa 
thought out loud as she stared at the picture of Lisette.  Shaking her head, 
Elisa put the wallet and passport back into the bag.  
     Curious, she then picked up the small, dark blue velvet bag.  Pulling
gently on the ribbon that tied the bag shut, Elisa stared in wonder at the 
contents of the bag.  Inside were eight coins that caught and reflected the 
moon light.  Carefully, Elisa reached out and lifted one of the coins into 
the sky, allowing the moon to reflect off of its surface so that she could 
read the coin.  Gasping, Elisa quickly lowered the coin and placed it back 
with the others.  "Eight French coins that date back to 990 AD... they must 
be worth a fortune!!"  Quickly Elisa redid the delicate ribbon and placed the
velvet bag back into the backpack.  Picking it up, she quickly slung the bag 
over her shoulder and hurried down the ladder and into the halls of the 23rd 
precinct.  "I have to get to Goliath and have him help me.. we need to find 
her!" Elisa mumbled as she rushed down the hall and out of the building, 
ignoring the stares of her fellow co-workers as she jumped into her car and 
tore out into the night traffic, ~before she gets herself in trouble~ she 
finished silently, worry creasing her brow.

*****************************************************************************

Somewhere else over Manhattan
     "I can't believe you ate the whole thing," Brooklyn muttered as he
eyed his gliding companion's paunch.
     "Hey, all this gliding gave me an appetite!" Broadway protested as he
patted his large blue stomach good naturedly.  "Besides, I said you could 
have some."
     "Yeah, after you finished it off!" Lexington piped up from Broadway's
other side.  "Whoa!  Talk about de ja vu!" he quickly exclaimed as he looked
at his rookery brothers in amazement.
     "Probably because this happens nearly every time we go on patrol
together!" Brooklyn said as he dipped his wings to glide lower and miss 
Broadway's swipe.
     "Ha ha, very funny!" Broadway growled.
     "Ah, he's just steamed cause Goliath took Angela patrolling with him
and he got stuck with us!" Lexington laughed as he too avoided his rookery
brother's aim.
     Soon a full out war began as the three brothers swirled and dipped,
trying to best the rest.  They hadn't had fun like this in ages; they hadn't
had the chance to act like rookery children in ages.  Still laughing, 
Brooklyn stopped doing the aerobatics and started gliding back towards the
Eyrie building.  "Come on guys, let's head back to the castle--the others are
probably back by now!" Brooklyn laughed.
     "Are you suggesting this as our second in command?" Lexington laughed
as he caught up to Brooklyn.
     Winging up on Brooklyn's other, Broadway tried to put on a serious
face--failing miserably--and said, "Yes, oh mighty leader, we shall do as you
command!"
     Rolling his eyes at the laughing duo, Brooklyn just smiled and said,
"No, as your rookery bro..." he trailed off as his eyes narrowed.
     "Our rookery bro?" Broadway asked in disbelief.
     "Goliath's going to kill you if he hears you saying that slang word!
Been watching a little too much TV?" Lexington teased as he broke into
laughter.
     "Just shut up and look!" Brooklyn snapped as he pointed to something
on the ground in front of them.
     Silencing immediately at the intensity in Brooklyn's voice, the two
gargoyles quickly glanced in the indicated direction.  About 100 yards in 
front of them walked a young human woman on the deserted sidewalk.
     "Jeez, when will these humans learn that it isn't a good idea to go
walking around by yourself at night?" Lexington asked as he peered down at 
the young woman.
     Shaking his head, Broadway met Lexington's gaze and said, "I don't 
know, but all it does is make our job more difficult.  Should we follow her
to make sure that she gets where she's going alright?" 
     "Probably.. Brooklyn?" Lexington asked, turning to his rookery
brother.
     "Yeah, it's a good idea to make sure that she does make it alright,
but I don't think that all three of us need to follow her.  If you guys want,
I'll go ahead and make sure she gets home, and you two can head back to the
castle," Brooklyn suggested as he followed the young woman's movements with
his sharp eyes.
     Shrugging his shoulders, Broadway turned and met Lexington's gaze 
once more.  "I think that it's a good idea.. but are you saying it as our
rookery brother..."
     "Or as our second in command?" Lexington finished with a small smile.
     Turning to glare half heartedly at his brothers, Brooklyn grinned 
instead and said, "As your second in command.  Now get moving before Goliath
begins to worry!"
     Laughing, the two brothers altered their course and began to glide
back in the direction of the castle.  Brooklyn barely heard Lexington say, 
"He just thinks that she's pretty and wants to be her hero if she needs
help!" before they both broke up in a fit of laughed that gradually died away
on the night breeze.
     Smiling, Brooklyn shook his head as he dipped lower to follow the 
young woman's progress more closely.  As he got closer, he realized that Lex
was right.. she was beautiful.. for a human that is.  She was wearing blue
jeans, a white tee shirt, a red piece of cloth tied around her shoulder, long
blond hair that stretched down her back.. a red piece of cloth?  Squinting 
his eyes to see better in the night gloom, Brooklyn saw that the red piece of
cloth was in fact tied tightly around her shoulder, and that not only was it 
red, but it glistened slightly under the occasional light of a street lamp.. 
as though it were wet.  Also, he could now make out red splotches all over
the back of her white shirt.  Concern etching his face, Brooklyn glided lower
still and watched closely as the young woman continued walking down the side-
walk, her gate becoming more and more uneven as she occasionally placed a tan
hand against a nearby wall for support. 
     Just as Brooklyn was about to dive down to assist the woman, a loud 
and jeering voice caused them both to pause.  Shaking his head, Brooklyn
quickly glided down to the nearest rooftop and watched with glowing eyes as
four street punks sauntered out from a dark alley and encircled the young
woman.  
     "Hey baby, whatcha doing out so late?" one of the punks with green,
spiky hair asked quietly as he advanced on her.
     "Alone?" the other punks taunted as they expertly began to move 
closer, causing her to back away.. right into the alley.
     "I am going to the police station, thank you," Lisette said coldly,
her eyes flashing angrily as the young men began backing her into the alley.
     "Oh hoh.. did you hear that boys?  The girlie is going to the police
station!" the leader of the group, the one with the green, spiky hair cried 
out as the rest began to whoop and laugh.  "Well, hey baby.." the leader 
crooned as he darted forward and pushed Lisette against a grimy brick wall, 
his body pinning her against the wall while he gently pet one hand against 
her smooth cheek.  "We can help you out!" he whispered fiercely as his 
friends drew up beside him.
     "Hey look at that!  She's been shot!" one of the boys cried out with
a stupid grin on his face as he poked at her bandaged shoulder.  
     Screaming out in pain, Lisette flinched as darkness started to steal
over her vision.  Reacting quickly, the leader quickly covered her mouth with
his dirty hand as one hand began to travel lower.  "Shh, honey.. we don't 
want anyone interrupting us."
     As the pain subsided and the throbbing returned, Lisette turned her
icy stare on the young leader.  Meeting his dark glare, she felt her eyes
slowly begin to burn green as her anger built.  Suddenly she released it all
in a burst of magic that sent the leader flying across the alley and into the
far wall.  "DO.. NOT.. TOUCH ME!" Lisette cried out, her breath heaving as
she fought to regain her composure.
     "What the hell!?"
     "Did you guys see that!"
     "What's up with this bitch?  Let's get the hell out of here!" the
other members of the little punk squad yelled out as the turned to run from
the scene.
     "No!  Grab her!" the leader called out, halting his friends in mid-
step.  "This bitch is going to pay!" he said as he brought a hand to his
mouth and wiped away a trickle of blood.
     At this command, the group quickly shrugged their shoulders and began
advancing on the woman.  Seeing this, Lisette quickly called upon her magic
and started dealing out devastating blows to the group.  And up from above,
Brooklyn continued to watch, his mouth wide open in amazement.  Just as he 
was about to come down and kick some punk butt, the woman surprised him by 
sending the leader across the alley, her eyes glowing green.  "She's fey!" he
gasped in amazement.  Frozen in shock, he continued to watch as she began 
fighting the group of punks using nothing else but magic.  Suddenly, he saw
the leader of the group begin to sneak around Lisette, moving closer and 
closer to her unprotected back as she dealt with the others.  Seeing the 
punk's intent and having no time to dive, Brooklyn did the only thing that he
could think of.. the exactly wrong thing to do.  "Hey, watch out!"
     Startled, Lisette broke off her attack and looked high up into the 
alley in search of the cry.  That second of inattention was the one thing
that the leader needed as he darted forward and dug his nails into Lisette's
shoulder wound causing her to scream out in agony.  This time she could do 
nothing to prevent the darkness from swimming up to meet her as she lapsed
into unconsciousness.
     As the woman fell to the ground, the group of punks hesitantly 
advanced forward, afraid of another attack.  When they saw that none would be
forthcoming, they knelt beside her.. ready to watch at first and then take 
their turn at revenge on the beautiful woman. 
     Slipping out a jack knife, the leader was about to start ripping the
clothes she was wearing to shreds so he could begin when a demon like roar
broke the quiet of the night.  "Oh God," the leader stuttered in fear as the 
knife dropped out of his hands and onto the grimy ground of the alley.  
Turning, he just had enough time to turn and stare up into the sky before he
was knocked off of his feet and to the ground by a flash of red.  Groaning,
he looked up and into the eyes of the Devil himself.  "Oh God, a gargoyle!" 
he screamed out in panic as the glowing red eyes focused on him.  "Let's get
out of here!!" he screamed in panic as he scrambled to his feet and ran from
the alley, the rest of his gang close behind.
     Sighing, Brooklyn allowed his eyes to quit glowing as he turned back
to the young woman.  She didn't look so hot.  Her shoulder wound was bleeding
fiercely, easily soaking the bandage and leaking down her arm as her tan face
became increasingly paler.  "She needs help," Brooklyn muttered thoughtfully
as he knelt beside her.  Just as he had seen Elisa do it before, Brooklyn
gently reached out one hand and placed it firmly over the wound, hoping to
slow the bleeding.  Groaning, the young woman shifted slightly, but still
didn't regain consciousness.  "I can't bring her to the hospital.. what if 
they try using some instrument with iron on her!" Brooklyn said aloud to
himself as he stared at her face.  She was even more beautiful in person, 
with high cheek bones, a small, pert nose over wide, full red lips.  "I need
to take her to the castle," Brooklyn finally mumbled to himself, coming to a
quick decision.  It made the most sense, because not only did Xanatos have
state of the art equipment, but there was also the rest of the clan, a fey,
a half fey, and a quarter fey living there.. they may just be of some help.
     Nodding to himself, Brooklyn leaned forward and then gently slid his
arms under the woman and easily lifted her up into his arms.  When she didn't
wake, he then turned and surveyed the dark alley.  He needed to get up higher
so that he could get some altitude and find some wind currents to glide off 
of.  Disappointed, he quickly realized that there was nothing to be found 
here that would do the job: just trash bags and a few dumpsters.  Sighing,
Brooklyn gently readjusted his hold till he was holding on to her firmly 
around the waist with one arm, her head tilted forward.  Careful not to
jostle his passenger too much, Brooklyn then gently scaled the side of the
building, the crunch of stone the only noise.  It was extremely slow going,
each step a baby one because of the difficulty of trying to climb with one
hand, but a few minutes later he was at a high enough height that he was able
to push away from the wall and let his wings catch him.  Once he was 
airborne, he then readjusted his grip on the unconscious young woman once 
more, so that he was again carrying her in his arms, her head supported on 
his shoulder.
     "Goliath's not going to believe this," he muttered as he soared 
higher into the night sky, looking down at his passenger to see her eyes 
moving quickly underneath the cover of her eye lids.. dream time.

*****************************************************************************

     Smiling, the young baby gurgles in her mother's warm grip, the arms
safe and protective as she stares across the room.  It was the same room..
always the same room with the same view:  grimy dirt floors, a hearth with a 
small fire burning, a rickety old table with wooden benches, an old bed made
out of lumber pressed against the far corner, and the pale and cold sunlight
seeping in through the open doorway.  ~No, look at her face.. please look at
her face!~ Lisette begged of her mind's eye.. it wasn't to be.  Every time it
was the same dream with the same view.  
     Laughing, the baby gurgles some more as she is gripped tighter by the
hands as she rises higher in the air, moving with the mother as she stands
up from her chair quickly.  ~This isn't a game!!  Look at her face!~ Lisette
urged, knowing that the baby wouldn't do any different than usual.. too young
to understand.
     Suddenly the room begins to tilt as the baby is lowered quickly to 
the floor and then laid on the cold dirt.  The cold upsets the child, and she
quickly begins to scream with tear filled eyes.  Turning her small head, the 
young infant watches through blurry eyes as the mother walks towards the open
door, never once looking back.  
     Then she stops.  Holding her breath, Lisette urged for the dream to
go on.  As the baby continues to cry, the mother stops by the door and weakly
reaches one tan hand out and rests it against the door, the hand trembling.
Ever so slowly she begins to turn.  Just as the corner of the woman's face
reaches the light, the dream slowly fades to black.
     ~No~ Lisette sobbed in her mind's eye as darkness once more reigned
over her world.  ~I need to see her face...~

*****************************************************************************

Eyrie Building
     As the elevator dinged open on the highest part of the Eyrie 
building, Detective Elisa Maza rushed through the opening and into the Great
Hall of Castle Wyvern.  Turning in circles, Elisa quickly found what she was
looking for.  "Owen!" she yelled as she rushed up to the calm as ever man
servant.
     "Yes Detective Maza?" he asked in his usual bored voice.
     "I need to speak with Goliath!  Where is he?" Elisa panted, trying to
regain her breath.
     "I do believe that he and the rest of the clan are gathered outside 
in the courtyard."
     "The courtyard?" Elisa asked in disbelief.  Usually when she came to
the castle, the clan was always gathered in the recreation room with Goliath
hidden away in the library reading one novel or another.
     "Yes, they have just returned from patrol and are.. uh hem, swapping
stories," Owen said, raising his eyebrow slightly as he said the last part,
indicating that it wasn't his own term to describe the event.
     Nodding her head, Elisa turned and ran towards the far end of the 
room where the large doors leading into the courtyard were located.  "Thanks
Owen!" she yelled over her back as Elisa pulled open the massive doors and
ran into the courtyard.  It was beautiful out here, with spring already past
and summer in full bloom, there were trees, grass, and flowers of all 
varieties blooming in the warm night air.  Ignoring the beautiful scenery,
Elisa ran past it all and out onto the stone parapets where the clan was
gathered.  "Goliath!"
     "Elisa?" Goliath asked in confusion and the beginnings of worry as he
watched his love run up to the group. 
     "I need your help!" Elisa said as she pulled to a stop beside the
group, ignoring the looks of worry from everyone gathered.
     "What's wrong Elisa?" Angela asked as she watched her human friend
closely.
     "Do you need help with a case?" Broadway broke in eagerly, a smile
lighting up his face.
     Flashing one of her small smiles, Elisa shook her head at Broadway.
"No case, but something different.  I need your guys' help finding someone!"
     "Who lass?" Hudson asked as he scratched his chin thoughtfully.
     "She's 19, with long blond hair that stretches down her back, blue 
eyes, about five foot seven, 110 pounds, tall and thin, and last seen wearing
baggy blue jeans and a white tee shirt," Elisa described from memory, 
replaying her time with the girl in her head.  "Also, her name is either 
Lisette or Talia Seul."
     Just then a sudden noise from behind the group caused them all to
turn quickly in surprise.  "I think that I just found who you're looking 
for," Brooklyn panted quickly as he hopped down from the parapets, careful
not to jostle the girl anymore than necessary.
     "Oh God, what happened?" Elisa said, immediately by Brooklyn's side
as she gently checked out the shoulder wound.
     "To her shoulder?  I don't know.  But I found her wandering the 
streets where she was attacked by a gang of punks..."
     "Was she hurt?" Angela asked quickly, concern touching her face as 
she looked at the still form of the woman.
     "Why didn't you take her to the hospital?" Goliath asked, worry 
covering his own face.
     "No, she wasn't hurt," Brooklyn answered quickly to Angela as he 
began moving past the clan.  "She managed to fight them off pretty good on 
her own."
     "She fought them off on her own?" Lexington asked in amazement as he
looked at her small frame, moving beside Brooklyn.
     "Where are ye going lad?" Hudson asked as Brooklyn hurried away.
     "To the infirmary, and get Owen!" he yelled over his back, with Elisa
and Lexington running beside him.
     "Owen?" Broadway asked in confusion.  "Why do we need Owen?!"
     "Because I think that she's fey!" was the yelled response that they
got as Brooklyn disappeared from sight.
     "What?!"
     "Broadway, go find Owen!  Hudson, Angela, come with me!" Goliath 
ordered as he turned quickly and began running after his second in command,
the rest of the clan in hot pursuit.
     As Goliath rounded the final hall, he quickly entered the infirmary
where he saw Elisa and Brooklyn bent over the young woman.  "Elisa?..."
     "Where's Owen?" Elisa asked as she gently untied the cloth that was
wrapped tightly around the girl's shoulder.
     "Broadway went to find him.." Goliath trailed off as he stared at the
red wound on the girl's shoulder.
     "Is it a gun shot wound?" Lexington asked quietly from his perch 
against the wall.
     "No, I don't think so.. I can't see any gun powder or anything..."
Elisa muttered as she grabbed a scissors lying on a stainless steel table
nearby and gently cut off the sleeve of the shirt and pulled it away to show
the wound.  "It looks like a clean hole straight through her shoulder..."
     "A laser?" Brooklyn asked as he pressed his hand over the wound in
hopes of slowing the bleeding.
     "I think so," Elisa agreed grimly, meeting his shocked expression.
     Suddenly the door burst open behind them as Owen and Broadway hurried
into the room.  Without saying a word he moved instantly by the young woman's
side, pushing Elisa and Brooklyn out the way.  There was no reaction or no
word as he quickly went to work on her shoulder, a tense silence falling over
the room.  A while later, Owen finally stepped away from the young woman, a 
clean white strip wrapping its way around her shoulder and arm.
     Before anyone had a chance to say anything, they watched as the 
mysterious young woman's eyes fluttered open.  The first thing that those
striking blue eyes saw was Brooklyn's smiling face.  "Oh no!" Lisette 
whispered as her eyes widened in fear and she sat up quickly, crying out as
the pain flared up in her arm.  
     "Hey, take it easy!" Elisa said quickly, instantly by the girl's 
side.
     "You!" Lisette gasped, recognizing the detective easily.
     "Who else?  Now just hold still or else you're going to hurt your arm
even more," Elisa soothed as she gently pushed the young woman back onto the
infirmary bed.
     "But.. but the gargoyles," Lisette gasped as she looked at the 
gargoyle clan, who now all had shocked expressions on their faces.
     "It's okay, they're friends!" Elisa urged, a small smile on her face.
"Besides, I thought that was why you came here.. to find the gargoyles..."
     "It was... but one of your clan sisters found me first..."
     "Uh oh," Lex murmured as the picture of that particular gargoyle came
to mind.
     "And the first thing that she did was shoot me in the shoulder with 
this big machine!" Lisette said angrily, her eyes flashing a bright green, 
which caused everyone in the room to flinch back in surprise.
     "Demona!" Brooklyn growled, his eyes flashing white as he thought of
his hated enemy.
     "Ah.. so she finally made it back to New York City," Elisa said
thoughtfully, thinking back to when she sent Demona to Norway in a fit of 
anger.. well justified anger.
     "It was a short stay then, for I sent her to Antarctica!" Lisette 
said angrily, her eyes flashing once more that eerie green of the fey.
     "Are you one of Oberon's children?" Lexington asked quietly, breaking
in on her anger.
     "What?" Lisette asked, thrown off guard for a minute.
     "Are you fey?" he persisted, the perfect picture of innocence.
     For a moment, the anger faded back from her eyes as she smiled at the
younger gargoyle.  "I.. wait a minute!" she broke off suddenly, the wary look
entering her bright blues once more.  "How do I know that you will not hurt
me with another of those big machines?" she asked, eyeing the clan.
     "It's called a laser gun, and it's because it's not our way to do 
that.. attack humans.." Brooklyn answered slowly.
     "But isn't this Demona a part of your clan?" Lisette asked, not 
letting her guard down yet.
     "Not any longer," Goliath answered with a tired sigh.
     "I.. I do not understand," Lisette answered back, her french accent
mixed in with her melodious voice causing each to strain to hear her words.
"Is she the one who destroyed your home above the clock tower?"
     "How did you know about that?" Elisa asked in confusion.  "You were 
in France at the time, weren't you?"
     "Yes," Lisette answered slowly, eyeing Elisa suspiciously.  "It was
all over the news.. that bombing of your home at the police station... how
many are there in your clan?" she asked, taking them all off guard at her
sudden change in topic.  "The news footage showed only four gargoyle forms.."
     "Well, after the massacre at Wyvern, there are just seven of us.  
There's Lexington, Broadway, Goliath-our leader," Brooklyn began explaining, 
pointing to each gargoyle in turn.  "And Hudson-the previous leader, and then
there's Angela, Goliath's daughter, and then there's Elisa Maza and that
there is Owen Burnett..."
     "And this is Brooklyn, the gargoyle that saved you from that gang and
brought you here," Elisa interrupted as she pointed to Brooklyn with a small
smile forming on her face.
     Smiling tentatively at the gathered group, Lisette lifted a small 
hand and pointed to herself.  "And I am Lisette.. but what is this you said
about a massacre?" she asked, her voice straining at the mention of the word.
     "A very long story," Goliath broke in sadly, thinking back to all of
their adventures of the past three years.
     "But a story I would like to hear.." Lisette replied, the small smile
remaining on her face as she first looked up at the large gargoyle leader, 
and then to smile at Brooklyn, the one who saved her.
     "Perhaps another time," Goliath replied with a smile of his own.
     "Very well," Lisette agreed, understanding the need for silence about
something so personal.  Still, there was something that still bothered her.  
"But if you are human, Elisa, then why can I sense such powerful magic from 
you?" Lisette asked, once more taking the detective off guard by such a 
direct question.
     "Ah.." Elisa stuttered as her gaze jumped back and forth between
Goliath and Owen, the only ones who knew the real story.
     "Well," Brooklyn broke in quickly, not even noticing the small look 
of relief that spread across Elisa's face.  "Elisa, Goliath, Matt, and I 
somehow hopped through a mirror into a different dimension where there was an
evil wizard that wanted Elisa... apparently when Puck turned her into a 
gargoyle one time, she developed the ability to do magic as a side effect.."
     "Turned into a gargoyle?" Lisette asked in confusion.
     "Oh yeah, another long story," Brooklyn replied with a sheepish grin.
"One for another night.. in any case, for some reason, thanks to the evil 
wizard, Elisa was able to find out about her magic and use it to save us 
all.. so now she has magic and can use it like Puck and the others!" Brooklyn
explained slowly.
     "But.. who is Puck?" Lisette asked, her confusion growing.
     Sighing, Angela shook her head slowly and smiled at the young woman.
"That could get complicated."
     At this, Lisette leaned back against the propped up pillows and
thought for a moment.  It all sounded plausible.. it could happen.  But for
some reason, Lisette had the gnawing feeling that it wasn't the whole truth..
Elisa felt just too powerful for that to be the whole explanation.  Shaking 
her head, Lisette looked up to the clan and smiled a bright smile.. she would
worry about that later.  For now she would accept that explanation.
     "But that hasn't answered any of our earlier questions.." Elisa broke
in hesitantly as she laid one of her dark hands on Lisette's shoulder.  
Turning, the young woman moved till her dark blue eyes met her own dark ones.
"How can you sense my magic?  How did you fight off the punks?  How were you
able to send Demona to Antarctica?  And why do your eyes flash green whenever
you become upset?  Are you fey?"
     "No, she is not," Owen said quietly, interrupting whatever Lisette 
was about to say.  "I have never seen her before in my life, and she is not
one of my sisters."
     "Well, you are partly right," Lisette broke in with a small smile. 
"I am half human and half something else.. I was born in 979 to my parents, 
Jean-Marc, a human, and Jasmine, who was not quite human--or so we think..."
     "You think?" Broadway asked in confusion.
     "Well, I never actually met my mother... or my father for that 
matter," Lisette admitted sadly.  "A few months after my birth, my mother
disappeared.  My father quickly travelled to a nearby village in the province
of Bretagne in Gaul, now called France.  There, he was said to have begged 
the townspeople for help--help that he would never get."
     "But why wouldn't the villagers help your father?" Angela asked
quietly.
     "Because by that time, rumors of my mother had spread, and her 
disappearance only fueled the flame," Lisette replied softly as her head 
dropped to her chest.  "The villagers were afraid of her and thought her a 
witch..."
     "Why would they think her a witch?" Elisa prodded quietly. 
     "Because strange things would happen whenever there was magic 
around... like if our village was ever attacked by magic, a blow that would
maim or kill another villager would cause little to no damage to my mother..
or so it was said.  Also, no one knew who she was or where she came from, 
including my mother... just one day she was there... and the next day she was
gone...  My father, a very poor farmer, began the search for my mother by 
himself.  While he searched, the gossip spread until it reached the ears of 
the wizard to the lord of the land, Craigen.  Intrigued, he traveled far to 
our village where he talked to the peasants there and heard the stories first
hand.  Even more intrigued, he then travelled to my father's decrepit cottage
where he met with my father.  It was then that he saw what would most likely 
become of me, and then convinced my papa to release me to his care..."
     "Why did you father give you to the wizard?" Goliath asked in 
amazement, casting a quick glance in Angela's direction.
     Sighing, Lisette lifted her head and met Goliath's baffled gaze.  "I
like to think that he gave me up because he loved me so much--that he knew he
could never bring me up properly by himself--or that he figured that when he
found my mother that they would come for me... I never had the courage to ask
the wizard why, and I was told that my father died just a few years later,
still searching for my mother..." Lisette trailed off, a single tear blazing 
a trail down her smooth cheek.  Shaking her head, Lisette quickly wiped the 
tear away and steeled her emotions.  "In any case, it was done.  I was raised
by Craigen in the lord's château where I was taught to read, write, and study
many things--including the study of magic," Lisette finished with a small 
smile.
     "He knew that you had magic?" Lexington asked from his perch on the 
couch.
     "No, but it was a good guess!  Strange things began happening when I 
was just a child..."
     "Like what?" Angela asked, her eyes eager in curiosity.
     "Well, one story that he told me was that when I was just an infant
one of my bottles began to teeter and fall off of the counter.  Rushing 
forward, he tried to get to it in time to prevent it from smashing to the
ground... when suddenly the toppling glass halted in mid-air and then floated
back up to its place on the counter.  The only people in the room were he and
I.  After a few more instances like that, he became convinced that I was no
ordinary child!" Lisette laughed, instantly lightening the mood in the room.
     "What else happened to convince him?" Elisa asked with a small smile,
seeing that these memories were good ones for the woman.
     "Well, one time, when I was just a year old, I apparently learned how
to levitate things...

*****************************************************************************

Craigen's room - 980 AD
     Smiling, the young wizard sat at his table and mixed his brews,
trying to create a potion that would magically stop the smell that always 
seemed to permeate from the young child's diaper.  He knew that the smell 
meant that she needed to be changed, but he knew that he could figure that 
problem out without having to smell that horrid stench.  Periodically, he 
would stop his mixing to peer over his shoulder and ensure that the child was
still sitting in the crib that he had made for her.. and staying out of 
trouble.  Suddenly his smile grew as he realized that he had figured out the
potion, and that all he needed to do was mix these last two bottles.  
     Ever so carefully young Craigen lifted the bottles close to his face 
and began to slowly pour the contents of one bottle into the other.  Almost 
immediately the substance within changed colors from a forest green to that 
of the sky.  Grinning, he continued to hold the bottle up to his face as he 
absently set the empty bottle on the table.. or where the table should have 
been.  Surprised, Craigen looked up.. and then down.  Crying out, Craigen 
realized that he was now floating a good eight feet off of the ground, his 
stool and table five feet below him.  So surprised was he that both bottles 
dropped out of his hands and then smashed on the stone floor so far below.
     A sudden girlish laughter caught his attention.  Turning as best as
he could while floating in the air, Craigen looked down and saw his young 
ward sitting as she was supposed to.. but her eyes were glowing an eerie 
green.  Laughing again, she clapped her hands, her eyes focused firmly on
Craigen's flying form.  It didn't take a genius or a wizard to figure out why
he was suddenly floating in the air.  "Lisette!" he called out, his voice 
trembling slightly.  Why did he have to be afraid of heights.  "Lisette, 
sweetie, put me down!" he called out, trying to keep his voice calm.
     Not calm enough, apparently.  Smiling, this caused Lisette to laugh 
all the harder as she began to move her head back and forth, causing poor 
Craigen to float back and forth as well.
     "Lisette!  Put me down!" he yelled out as his face began to turn
green because of the movement.  "Help!"

*****************************************************************************

Present day and time
     "So as you can see, it didn't take a wizard to figure out that there
was something special about me.. and because he met my father, he knew that
it wasn't due to him, which just left my mother."
     "Well, at least you didn't drop him on his head!" Brooklyn said, 
laughing at the thought of a baby causing her unsuspecting mentor to float in
the air.
     "Well, I guess that's one thing to be grateful for!" Lisette said 
with a warm smile in Brooklyn's direction.
     "Yes, but how did you manage all of this time?  Are you immortal?"
Elisa asked, getting back to the subject at hand.  After seeing the young
woman's expression fall once more, Elisa wished all the more that she hadn't.
     "If I was immortal, I wouldn't have this mess, would I?" Lisette
answered with a sad smile as she gazed at the human detective.  Turning 
slightly, Lisette focused on the warm eyes of Brooklyn instead.  "No, I'm 
definitely not immortal... I, I spent all of my time in the château either
with the wizard or with the gargoyle clan that protected the castle.  They
were my friends--whenever I could, I would sneak away from my chores and 
studies so that I could be trained by-and just be with the clan.." Lisette
said, trailing off as a small smile caused her full lips to lift slightly at
the pleasant memories.
     "So the humans and gargoyles lived together in peace?" Goliath asked,
smiling at the thought of his dream of peace between the two races a reality.
     "Well, not exactly... I think that the humans of the château resented
my clan because they were different from themselves--which meant that the
wizard and I were resented as well," Lisette explained slowly, a sad smile
filling her face.  "In any case, life went on like that... until the Roman
Invasion... It was a time of war--battles were won and battles were lost,
armies advanced and armies retreated, homes were destroyed.. and friends were
killed," Lisette described as her voice turned hollow and her eyes seemed to
focus on nothing.  "One day in the summer, when I was 17 years of age, the 
château was attacked by the mighty Roman army..." Lisette whispered as her 
thoughts travelled back to that time so long ago.

*****************************************************************************

The Lord of Bretagne's Château - 996 AD
     Yawning, Lisette moved slowly down the stone hallway of the castle, 
her long skirts swishing against the floor as the weak sun filtered through
the occasional window.  "Oh, these late nights are killing me!" she said, 
trying in vain to wipe the sleep from her eyes.  She was late for her lessons
with Craigen, and she knew it.  From the position of the sun, it seemed that
it was almost noon.  "No, *he* is going to kill me!" Lisette murmured as she
picked up her pace and quickly began climbing the stone stairs of the tower.
Breathless, she finally reached the top and burst into the cluttered room. 
"Craigen?"
     "I'm here, just where I said I would be earlier this morning when it
was time for your lessons," an aged voice replied tersely.
     Moving carefully around one cluttered table after another, Lisette
finally found her mentor reading on a stool with a very large book on his 
lap.  "I'm so sorry, Craigen, but..."
     "You were out late with the gargoyle clan and accidentally slept in,"
the wizard said as he finally looked up from the book he was reading to
connect his tired brown eyes with her blue.  "It is always the same with you,
my child," he sighed, shaking his white head as he slowly got up from his 
seat, his brown robes catching the occasional ray of light.
     "But the Romans attacked a nearby village and I went along to help
scare them away..." Lisette argued, trying to defend her actions.
     Waving his hand in the air, Craigen quickly replied, "And tis good 
that the gargoyles did so...  tis in their very nature to protect... but you
are not a gargoyle."
     "But..."
     "I know, you can take on the form of a gargoyle with that magic of 
yours, but inside you are still a young mage.. my apprentice and ward... a
human being..."
     "A halfling," Lisette interrupted quickly as she watched her mentor 
begin to mix some concoction.
     "Yes, but if the lord or his son ever knew that at night you changed
yourself into a garg..."
     "Oh, phooey on the lord, and especially on his son!  I don't like the
way he keeps eyeing me!" Lisette said angrily as she plopped down on the
wooden stool, her dress flaring around her.
     "The boy likes you..."
     "The *boy* just wants to own and control me like he does everyone 
else in this château!" Lisette argued, her eyes flashing green at the
thought.
     "Shh, now child," the aging wizard said as he knelt in front of his
ward.  "You know that..."
     "Hush, Craigen... did you hear that?" Lisette cried out suddenly as
her large blue eyes grew wider.
     "Hear what?" Craigen asked in confusion as he placed one hand gently
on Lisette's shoulder.
     "Shh, there it is again!" Lisette cried as she jumped to her feet and
rushed to the nearest window.  There she looked down upon the peaceful
château, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.  However, when she looked
further, past the château's walls he saw what caused the noise.  "Oh, mon
Dieu!  Craigen, the Roman's are attacking!" Lisette yelled quickly, willing
her eyes to be wrong as man after man began pouring out from the nearest 
wood.
     "What?!" Craigen called out quickly as he rushed to stand beside
Lisette at the tall tower window, just as the cry of alarm was sounded 
throughout the château.
     "I just see the watch guards... where is the lord and his forces?!"
Lisette cried out in alarm as she watched the measly watch guards attempt at
defending the château walls.
     "They are gone, helping Lord Louis to defend his lands from the 
Romans," Craigen replied hollowly as he watched guard after guard retreat 
further from their posts under the hollow of spears and arrows.
     "But the Romans are *here*!" Lisette protested weakly.
     "And the château shall fall under their control."
     "Then we must stop them!" Lisette cried out shrilly as she picked up
her skirts and rushed for the door.
     "Stop, Lisette!  Can't you see?  The sun is high and the gargoyles
won't awaken for hours... till it's too late," the old wizard trailed off 
slowly.
     "I know, but *we* can stop them!  You can use your book of spells,
and I my magic!  You said that I was strong..." Lisette trailed off, one hand
resting on the door.
     "No, my child.  I am an old wizard and you a young girl.  You are
strong, but we can't take on an entire army!" Craigen urged.
     "But..."
     "And we shall use that to our advantage.  The Romans are fierce, but
they are not barbarians and will not harm us," Craigen said wisely as he 
stepped beside his ward and pulled her gently away from the door.  "They will
take us captive with the rest of the château and later the lord shall bargain
for his people's freedom."
     At that exact moment, one of the fore mentioned Roman warriors
charged into the room, sword ready.  "Who are you?" he barked out quickly,
eyeing Lisette in her tight bodiced gown.
     "I..." Lisette started, aiming her best glare at the invader.
     "We are nothing more than an aging man and his granddaughter,"
Craigen interrupted quickly, placing a firm hand on Lisette's shoulder.
     The guard continued to eye them for a minute longer before nodding
slowly.  "Fine.  Move it," he ordered, pointing for them to move ahead of him
and down the stairs where they were then placed in the open courtyard with 
the other inhabitants of the château.
     There they sat and waited for hours on end as the Romans finished
turning the château upside down in search of valuables.  And then the group
of scared and hungry captives were told to start moving by the Roman Captain
himself.
     Smiling in reassurance over at Lisette, Craigen reached over and
gently squeezed her hand.  "See my child?  I told you that everything would 
be alright."
     Lisette herself was about to agree with her aged mentor when a sudden
shout caused everyone to freeze and made Lisette's blood run cold.  "But what
about the gargoyle statues, sir?" one young Roman warrior called out 
hesitantly as he eyed the many statues that adorned the château's walls.
     "What about them?" was the Captain's curious reply as he too eyed the
fierce statues.
     "Why, we must smash them sir, before the sun goes down and they come
to life and after us!"
     At this, the contingent of warriors broke out into uneasy laughter.
Hearing this, Lisette felt her worry ease... until she saw the Captain's face
as he contemplated his warrior's request.
     Brushing away Craigen's restraining arm, Lisette stepped away from
the group and towards the Roman captain until the cold steel of a sword
blocked her way.  Straining to keep her face a mask of ease, Lisette met the
captain's eyes and said, "Must your pillaging of our home be so complete that
you must smash the masonry that decorates the very château itself?"
     Turning, the mighty Roman captain stared down from his tall stead at
the brave young woman before him--brave, but foolish as well.  It was obvious
that she hadn't yet learned that it was a woman's place to be silent.  She 
was beautiful, for a French peasant, that is.  Still, later he would probably
take pleasure in putting her in her proper place himself.  Ignoring her 
objection, the Captain finally turned his wise eyes back to his young 
warrior.  "And where did you hear of such superstitions?"
     "From another troop, sir.  They said that a band of demons flew outta
the night sky last night, screeching and roaring with glowing eyes, chasing
the troop right outta the village they were inhabiting.  I was told that the
demons were called gargoyles and that they came to life when the sun falls
below the horizon..." the young man trailed off slowly, his mind ticking off
the short hours to sunset.
     Turning, the mighty Roman captain surveyed the many statues adorning
the château walls, as did every other soldier in the contingent.
     "Don't tell me you actually believe that fairy tale!" Lisette cried
out, breaking into a mocking laughter.  Turning, Lisette called out to the 
rest of her people that were gathered behind her with shocked expressions on 
their faces, "Did you hear that?  The mighty Roman army that is out to
conquer our country is afraid of gargoyles!  A child's fable!"
     "Enough!" the Roman captain yelled out fiercely, his cold gaze locked
on Lisette.  "You have quite a tongue.. one that I will have cut out if you
don't shut your mouth!  The Roman Empire fears nothing!" he yelled out, 
meeting Lisette's piercing blue eyes.  "Now move out.. we have much ground to
cover!" the captain barked out as he turned his horse and began leading the
troops from the château.
     Sighing in relief, Lisette quickly moved to Craigen's side.  "They're
not going to hurt the clan," Lisette whispered as she began moving beside her
mentor.
     "Oui, and all thanks to you, my foolish child," Craigen whispered 
back in a scolding tone, thinking of how close he came to losing her, yet 
also with a slight twinkle in his eyes as he thought of how she outsmarted
the captain and used his pride against him.
     "And it was..."
     "Captain, sir... what about the gargoyles?" the same guard broke in,
causing Lisette's words to freeze on her lips.
     Pulling his horse to a stop, the Roman captain looked over his 
shoulder at the deserted château.  "You may take a small troop back to smash
the statues and catch up to us later if it will ease your worry," he said
smoothly as he faced forward once more and urged his horse on.
     Stunned, Lisette could only watch in horror as a small group of men
broke quickly away from the troop and advanced on the stone gargoyles. 
Numbly, she felt Craigen yank on her arm, trying in vain to pull her away as
one of the heavy maces broke down upon the first gargoyle form, reducing it
to rubble.  "That was the gargoyle that I called Petite... she was the one 
who taught me to glide," Lisette whispered, tears glistening in her blue eyes
as she stared at what was left of her friend.
     "Lisette, we must go!  I'm sorry about your friends, but there is 
nothing that we can do about it!" Craigen whispered, pity covering his face
at the devastated look on his ward. 
     Gasping, Lisette watched as yet another of the noble gargoyle clan
was reduced to rubble--this one the second in command's beautiful young mate
that was heavy with egg.  "No..." Lisette whispered as the mace lifted again,
this time over one of the clan's young.  "No!" she screamed out, all of her
sorrow and disbelief turning into blinding anger.  Surprised at the scream 
that broke the quiet, everyone turned and the mace paused in mid-air.  "I 
warn you now, foolish humans, that if you do not stop in your destruction,
there shall be severe consequences!" she screamed once more, shaking off her
mentor's restraining hand.
     Surprised, the Roman warrior, now and forever a barbarian in her
mind, turned away from the young woman to throw his captain a questioning
glance, mace at his side.
     Staring coldly at the young woman, the captain quietly uttered one
word: "Proceed."
     Nodding at his superior, the young man raised his mace once more..
which was all the prompting Lisette needed.
     "Arrêt!" Lisette screamed as her eyes began to glow.  Startled, the 
guards and peasants drew back as green energy shot out of the young woman's
hands and hit the young warrior, causing him to fall quickly to the ground.
As she turned and began dealing out similar blows to the other mace wielders,
she began to float a few feet off of the ground.
     "A witch!" was the surprised and fearful word that went up throughout
the Roman warriors as they jumped for cover from her magical attacks.
     "A witch indeed," the mighty Roman captain murmured as he hid behind
a nearby boulder, abandoning his horse to fend for itself.  While making sure
to keep his body protected from the green rays of magic, he slowly lifted his
head above the rock.  There he saw Lisette, floating in much the same place,
her eyes glowing that same eerie green with her pale blond hair blowing 
behind her in an unfelt wind.  Turning, he saw that already a third of his
mighty army was down, either unconscious or dead, and that the rest were
taking shelter behind boulders or trees, trying their best to launch a 
counter attack before  they were brought down like their comrades.  Turning
further, he saw that their prisoners were hiding from the onslaught as well.
And then his eyes focused upon the old man that was brought down with the 
witch.  Even now his eyes were riveted to her form, concern etched upon his
wrinkled old face.  "Thorne!" he barked to one of his soldiers that was 
hiding behind a nearby oak tree.
     "Yes sir?"
     "I want you to gather all of the men that you can and then follow me!
I have a plan..."
     "Sir?" the young man asked, casting a wary glance back into the
battle field.
     "Get moving!  We need to get over to our prisoners!" the Captain 
barked, his face cold as he stared back out at the beautiful witch.  "We
shall end this NOW!" he hissed, his eyes as hard as granite.
     Nodding, the young warrior quickly hurried away and did as he was 
told, trying to remain shielded from sight at all times.  A few minutes later
everything was set and ready to go.  Turning, the Roman leader nodded once at
his troops and as one they stood.  "Stop your fighting and surrender to us 
now, witch, or they shall die!"
     Turning quickly, Lisette looked for the source of the threat, ready
for some new targets.  What she saw caused her blood to freeze once more.  
There stood her people, knives and swords pressed against their throats with
the Roman barbarians standing behind them.  Even worse was that at the front
of the group stood the Roman Captain, his own broadsword held tightly against
her mentor's throat.  "Craigen?!" Lisette gasped, her mind spinning.
     "Like I said, surrender to us now or they all die, starting with the
old man!" the Roman captain warned as he tightened his grip.
     As fear choked Lisette, she racked her mind for a way out--some way
to save them all.  She couldn't just cast a spell to send the Romans to some
other place, for all of the places that she knew of and was capable of 
sending the army were close by, and that would just eliminate the problem
temporarily--the Romans would be back.  No, she had to deal with these Romans
once and for all.  So what to do if she needed to deal with the enemy but
there were innocents in the way?
     "Well?!"
     Steeling her emotions and forcing her face to be impassive, Lisette
met the evil Roman's dark stare.  "No," was her simple reply.  Before anyone
could react, Lisette quickly chanted a simple rhyme as green mist shot out of
her fingers to surround the group.  Seconds later the mist dissipated and all
that remained were the baffled Romans with empty hands.  You simply have to
eliminate the innocents from the equation.  Smiling, she was about to perform
the same spell on the remaining gargoyle statues so that she could deal 
with her enemy alone when someone tackled her from behind.  Crying out,
Lisette and her assailant tumbled to the ground a few feet below, knocking 
the wind out of her.  Groaning, Lisette felt a knee shoved into her back,
pinning her to the ground as her arms were yanked roughly behind her and 
secured in place with cold metal.  Coughing as the soft dirt entered her
lungs and as she tried to regain her breath, Lisette felt rough hands at her
back and shoulders as she was lifted to her feet.
     "Now let's see you try your magic with your hands bound, witch!" the
Captain growled, angry that even when her clothes were torn, her hair was
messed, and her tan face was smudged by dirt she still managed to look like a
goddess.
     "You fool!  You think that I need my hands free to use my magic?!" 
Lisette hissed, preparing herself to launch another magical attack.  Suddenly
she realized that something was wrong, very wrong.  Nothing was happening!
She couldn't feel her eyes burn green or the tingle of her magic waiting to 
be released.
     "You can, can you?" the Captain asked smugly, laughing at her 
apparent distress.  "Did I mention that you are now being restrained with 
*iron* cuffs?"
     "So?" Lisette mumbled as she focused on her magic... or lack of it.
"What's iron?"
     "What?  You don't know about iron?" the Captain laughed, finally
capturing Lisette's full attention.  "It seems as though I get to teach you
first hand about your weakness!"
     "Weakness?" Lisette asked in confusion, a cold trickle of fear 
running down her back.
     "Yes.  Long ago, the ancient Romans, our ancestors, learned that the
one weakness to all magic users was to be restrained by iron.  For some, even
the touch of the iron caused the skin to burn and severe pain.. to others it
just caused for their magic to become null and void... as is the case with
you," the Captain said with a cold smile.
     "No... this can't be happening!" Lisette cried, shaking her head as
she tried even harder to call upon her magic.
     Laughing, the Roman captain turned away from the witch, now nothing
more than a harmless young woman.
     "And what do we do now, sir?" one of the older warriors asked as more
and more of the downed soldiers slowly climbed to their feet, apparently
stricken unconscious by the witch's magical blows.
     Stopping, the Roman captain turned to face the young witch.  She
hardly looked danger now as she struggled in the heavy iron shackles, one of
his mean on each side holding her arms tightly.  "Destroy the remaining 
statues," he finally replied coldly, an evil glint in his eye as he watched 
the witch jump into action once more.
     Quickly, Lisette began to struggle fiercely in her captors' grip.  
"No!  Oh God no!" Lisette screamed as she watched a group of men advance on
the remaining gargoyles, maces ready.  Slowly, gargoyles after gargoyle was
destroyed by the flying maces.  "No, please stop!" Lisette sobbed, twisting
weakly in her captors' grip as her friends were destroyed one by one before
her eyes.  Soon it became just too much to bear as Lisette's knees gave way,
the warriors struggling to keep her standing as she turned her head away from
the sight as her tears left trails down her dirty cheeks.
     "Oh no, witch, you must watch your demons be destroyed," the Captain
whispered from beside her as he roughly grabbed Lisette by the hair and 
forced her to watch the destruction, slapping her hard across the face 
whenever she closed her eyes.
     Soon the destruction was complete and only one gargoyle statue 
remained:  the leader of the clan who sat on the highest tower of the 
château.  Looking up at the sun through a red haze that was caused from a
head wound that was inflicted by the captain, she saw that sunset was just 
moments away.
     Unfortunately, the Roman captain saw this as well.  "Well, now... I
think we should see if this gargoyle story is just a story or what.  Men, I
want you to secure as many chains as you can around the statue!" he called
up to his warriors that were standing beside the statue.  Turning, he then
motioned to the two that were guarding the witch and said, "Come on."
     Nodding their heads, the two guards half dragged, half carried the 
witch between them as they entered the château and climbed the stairs that 
led up to the tower that housed the remaining gargoyle.
     Feeling more helpless than she ever had before, Lisette could do 
nothing but watch with tear filled eyes as the sun slowly dipped over the
horizon.  As the cracks spread quickly throughout the stone form, the Romans
stepped back in fear.
     Slowly, the stone particles exploded off of his gargoyle form as the
Leader awoke to greet the night... and was stopped by chains.  Surprised, the
young leader struggled for a moment to no avail before looking down and 
seeing the destruction below him.  "No!" he roared into the dark night sky as
his eyes focused on the pile of rubbled that sat where his mate once rested.
"No!"
     "Leader, I.." Lisette called out as the tears poured down her cheeks
and as her heart broke all over again for her friend, the guilt at not being
able to stop this destruction welling up within her.
     Surprised, he turned quickly to see himself surrounded by strange men
in strange clothing.  Suddenly he saw a familiar face.  "Lisette?" the leader
called out in confusion.  "What has happened.. why didn't you use your magic
to stop this?!" he cried out.  Watching her closely, he saw her flinch 
visibly at his words.  It was then that he noticed the chains and the blood
on her face.  As a growl split the night and his eyes began to glow white,
the young leader called out "Are you..."
     "So, the stories are true," the Roman captain broke in, his face
expressionless.  "Well then, witch... or Lisette I suppose, your demons are
now dead..."
     "You monster!" Lisette screamed, the tears streaming down her cheeks.
     "You are the one who destroyed my clan?" the leader roared as he 
prepared to charge the man.  The chains that bound him held his arms and
wings tight against his body, but that didn't restrict his feet or the sharp
talons found there.
     Stopping the gargoyle in his place with his words, the Roman captain
yelled out, "Your clan is dead, and this witch did nothing to stop the 
destruction because she preferred to save her own hide!"  
     Backing up on his perch, the gargoyle stared at Lisette in confusion,
not wanting to believe what the man was saying.  But the evidence was right 
in front of him.. sure Lisette was chained, but she didn't need her hands 
free to perform her magic.
     "No, I.." Lisette broke in weakly, the tears pouring down her face as
she pleaded with the Leader with her eyes.
     "Kill him," the Roman captain broke in quickly.
     "NO!" Lisette screamed.  Turning quickly, Lisette kneed one of her 
guards in his most vulnerable place before elbowing the other one sharply in
the nose, causing them both to go down.  Then she ran as fast as she could
across the tower as she watched two of the Romans run up to the unsuspecting
gargoyle and shove him as hard as they could, sending him over the edge of 
the tower.  "No!" Lisette screamed again as she elbowed her way to the edge
or the tower and looked over, just in time to watch her friend smash to the
ground five stories below.  "No," she sobbed in denial as she was quickly
surrounded by the Romans once more.  Turning her roughly, Lisette found 
herself staring up into the evil Captain's eyes.  "Why?  Why did you lie to
him and say that?" Lisette sobbed brokenly.
     "Because now your demon died believing that you betrayed his clan to
save your own life... he died cursing you!" the Roman answered, laughing at
the idea.
     As anger consumed Lisette's being, she did the one thing that she 
could in her situation.. she spit in the evil man's face.
     Quickly she was repaid with a hard slap across her face, causing her
to cry out as she began to fall to the ground.  Moving fast, her guards 
lifted her arms and forced her to stand once more and face the captain.  
"Thanks to your inexperience and blinding anger, we were able to defeat you
today, witch.  Because of you, your demon friends are now dead," he said 
coldly, loving every minute of the pain that flashed across Lisette's face as
her entire being was filled with sorrow and guilt and as each word cut her to
her very core.  Smiling, the Captain moved to the edge of the tower and
looked below at his troop of men milling below in the courtyard.  "Hurry men,
we leave immediately!"
     "To where, sir?" one of the younger men called up from below.
     "To the city of Reims..."
     "But what of the other prisoners, sir?  They're gone!" another of the
men called out, looking about in the darkness.
     "Yes, and the witch probably sent them far away from us," the Captain
agreed, sending a cold look at the witch.  Looking at her though, he quickly
saw that he would get no more reactions out of her.  She stood with her head
tilted down, her long blond hair hiding her face, and her shoulders sagging
down:  the perfect picture of defeat.  "It matters not.  We have something
even better... a witch to be burned at the stake!" he yelled out, causing a 
cheer to go up throughout the crowd of men.  "Move out!" he ordered a few
minutes later, after everyone and thing were gathered and ready to head out.
Lisette, heavily guarded and surrounded, was placed somewhere in the middle.
     And so they did.  The group travelled by day--leaving before the sun
rose and making camp after night fell--always moving.  As for Lisette, she 
ignored everyone and thing, so filled with guilt and remorse that she didn't 
even care that she was marching to her own demise.
     That was fine for the Romans though, because they were so afraid of
the 'witch' that they kept their distance--except for the Roman captain.  
Every chance he could he would be at her side, taunting and tormenting her in
hopes of a reaction.  In all honesty, he couldn't help it.  She was so 
beautiful that he couldn't help but want to spend his every free moment with
her--which infuriated him all the more.  He blamed it on Lisette of course,
believing that she had cast some sort of spell that caused the attraction.
     One night, the Roman captain decided that the witch's temptation was
too much to bare and decided to act on it...
     The hour was late as the Captain finally gave up on sleep--the woman,
as always, fore most on his mind.  Throwing his blanket aside, the Captain
slipped on his clothes and then left the stuffy tent for the cool summer 
night air.  Walking aimlessly, the Captain nodded at the occasional night 
watchman before finding himself in front of the heavily guarded prisoner's
tent.  Without even knowing what he was doing, the Captain then waved the
guards away--who left with knowing looks, figuring that the witch was about
to receive another nightly beating.  
     Moving as though in a dream, the Captain very slowly pulled back the 
tent flap, revealing the witch huddled in her chains within the tent.  As
like all of the times before, the young woman didn't even stir as he stepped
into the tent.  With that same blank look on his face, the Captain slowly 
knelt before her.  "You did it, didn't you?" he whispered harshly, his hot
breath on her impassive face.  "You cast some sort of spell on me, so that I
can't get you out of my mind, didn't you?!" he rasped, pushing closer still.
When he still got no response, his anger flared to an all time high... and
his lust as well.  "Fine then, witch!" the Captain hissed as he shoved 
Lisette onto her back.  "I give into your damn spell!  I'll give you what you
want!" he yelled out as he whipped off his belt and straddled the witch.
     It was at this point and time that Lisette finally broke out of her
self-imposed isolation and became aware of her environment for the first time
in days--she didn't like what she saw.  "Get off of me!" Lisette screamed, 
instantly bucking her hips, causing the surprised Captain to roll off of her.
Moving quickly, Lisette stumbled to her feet, her arms still tightly bound 
behind her as she rushed over to the unsuspecting Captain, catching his chin
with her knee.
     Crying out, the Captain backed away and touched his chin gingerly.  
"You *witch*!  I was just giving you what your spell demanded of me!"
     "What are you talking about?!" Lisette yelled, barely able to believe
what she just prevented.  And here she thought that things couldn't possibly
have gotten any worse.
     "You put me under some damn spell so that I can't get you out of my
mind!" the Captain roared before he charged Lisette.
     Unable to move fast enough in the heavy iron chains, Lisette was
easily tackled, causing her to cry out in pain as she landed on her bound 
hands.  "Get off of me!" Lisette screamed as she began to twist and squirm
violently under the Captain.  "Use your head, I couldn't have cast that 
spell!  I've been bound in iron chains!"
     Those words seemed to knock some sense into the Captain as he backed
away quickly.  Before he could respond, the tent flap opened behind him,
revealing her guards and a couple of the night watch as well.  "Is everything
all right in here, sir?" one of the guards asked as he eyed the scene: 
Lisette lying on the ground, her dress even more torn and the Captain 
breathing heavily before her, his belt lying on the ground.  It didn't take
a genius to figure out what had been going on.
     Without saying a word, the Captain looked once more at Lisette before
leaving the tent.  That was really the last that she ever did see of him, for
her never again came to taunt and torment her.  And never again did Lisette
withdrawal into herself in order to hide from the pain of her memories.  From
that point on, Lisette decided that she would rather face reality and deal
with everything as it happened.  And that's exactly what she did those last
few days of the journey to Reims:  attempt to cope and deal with her
tremendous guilt and pain at losing everything that matter in the world to
her.. at least Craigen was safe.
     After their arrival, there was a quick hearing at which Lisette was
declared a witch.  And then it was time to burn...
     As Lisette stared out at the mob of people that laughed and jeered at
her, she couldn't help but wonder about the direction her life had taken as
she struggled uselessly against her iron bonds.  "Such is life," she muttered
as a masked man stepped forward with a burning torch in hand.  Inside the 
mask, Lisette knew that the man was smiling as he bent low and lit the piles
of hay, that were scattered below her pole that she was tied to, on fire.
     Coughing as the thick black smoke that drifted up, Lisette began to
struggle fiercely against her bonds--all to no avail.  In a matter of seconds
the fire blazed and the hot scorching heat began to sear her skin.  A second 
later her dress caught on fire and her skin began to burn under the 
onslaught.  As Lisette began to scream in agony, a fine blue mist enveloped
her burning form.  When it dissipated, the crowds, smoke, sunlight, and pole
were gone as Lisette tumbled to a hard, stone floor.  Unfortunately, the fire
was still there.  Screaming as the fire climbed higher, Lisette thrashed and 
rolled on the stone floor, trying to put out her dress.
     "Oh my God!" a voice called out, as though heard from far away.
     Suddenly a large blanket was thrown over her body as gentle hands
patted out the fire.  Crying at the flashes of pain she felt on her burned
skin, Lisette felt a yanking on her arms before a release and then the cold
iron was gone.  Confused, but in too much pain to care, Lisette felt the 
gentle hands at her back once more as she was turned on her back.  Opening 
her eyes, Lisette saw that she was lying in some sort of cavern... and then a
familiar face came into sight.  "Craigen!?" Lisette gasped as pain flared
around her legs once more, the tears pouring down her cheeks.
     "Yes, child, it is I," Craigen soothed as he took Lisette's small 
hand in his.
     "Craigen... my legs!" Lisette gasped, fighting against the pain.
     "I know, I know.. you are free from your bonds, and now you must 
change your form into that of a gargoyle once more, so that stone sleep may
heal you," Craigen whispered softly as he averted his eyes from her badly 
burned legs, the bruises covering her face and arms, and her thin form as he
met his ward's scared blue eyes instead.
     "Oh Craigen, the gargoyles..." Lisette sobbed, remembering all that 
she had witnessed.
     "Hush, I know Lisette.  We'll talk later, but now you must rest,"
Craigen urged, a tear burning in his eyes at all of the horrors that his girl
must have faced in the last week.
     Nodding her head, Lisette weakly gathered all of the magic she could
manage before casting the transformation spell.  It was evident just how weak
and wounded she was by how long the transformation took and by how much she
had to struggle to go through with it.  Fortunately, though, she was changed
to a gargoyle and then to stone.
     As the sun set over the horizon later that day, the stone skin
surrounding Lisette's gargoyle body cracked and then broke away.  Roaring, 
she awoke on the cold stone floor of a cavern, completely disoriented and
confused.  Without even thinking, Lisette shifted back into her human form 
and looked down at the stone particles littering the floor.  "I've never 
slept in stone before..." Lisette whispered in amazement at her stone skin.
"But why..." Lisette trailed off as all of her memories of the past week or 
so came crashing back.  Gasping, Lisette quickly lifted the bottom of her
skirts, revealing her smooth, unmarked legs.
     "Lisette?"
     "Craigen?!" Lisette yelled, searching desperately for her mentor, 
panic squeezing her heart.
     "In here, child!"
     Turning, Lisette saw a shaft of flickering light that seeped out from
another chamber.  Picking up her skirts, Lisette ran across the dark cavern
and into the chamber where a strange sight greeted her.  The new chamber was
relatively small with hundreds upon hundreds of brightly lit candles placed
about, particularly next to a high slab of stone that sat in the middle of 
the room.  Cringing at the fire, Lisette saw her mentor standing beside the 
slab of stone, spell book in hand.  "Oh, Craigen!" Lisette sobbed, releasing
all of the emotions that had been bottled up as she ran into her mentor's
embrace.  "They're dead... all of the clan is dead..."
     "I know child..."
     "I couldn't stop them, Craigen... it's all my fault..." Lisette 
cried, her tears soaking Craigen's long white beard.
     "No, it's not..."
     "I let my anger blind me and then they used something called iron on
me, which caused my magic to leave me!"
     "Shh, I know Lisette," Craigen comforted as he smoothed her long
blond hair.  "But it's not your fault, you did all that you could..."
     "But they're dead..."
     "And I along with the other château inhabitants are alive, thanks 
only to you and your quick thinking."
     "But..."
     "It was very smart of you to transport us to the lake like that...
although it did take us till morning to get back to the château," Craigen 
said with a small smile.  In honesty, it was nothing to smile about.  Because
of that delay, Craigen was a good day behind Lisette and the army as they 
travelled, meaning that he didn't make it too the crowded square of people in
Reims until the hay beneath Lisette was already lit on fire, causing her to
be badly burned.
     "Yes, but..."
     "Hush now, Lisette, right now I need for you to get up and lie here
on this slab," Craigen interrupted as he helped Lisette up and then forced 
her to lie down.
     "What?... But why, Craigen?" Lisette asked in confusion as she began
to feel groggy.
     "The world is no longer safe for you my child... the people of Gaul
believe you to be a witch.. not even the people that you saved at the château
would come and help me to save you... you're no longer safe here, and until
the world is once more safe, you must sleep," Craigen said quietly with a sad
smile.
     "Craigen, I..." Lisette started, the tears pooling in her eyes as she
no longer found the energy to lift her arms or head.  ~He must have cast the
spell before I entered~ Lisette thought as her eyes remained fixated on 
Craigen's kind old face.
     "There are about ten coins in the pot by the wall, and we're sealed
in, so you'll have to use your magic to get you out once you awaken..."
     "No," Lisette whispered as a tear drifted down her cheek.
     "Lisette... be careful and always remember that I have always loved
you as my daughter..."
     "Please don't leave me Craigen..." Lisette whispered one last time as
darkness stole over her vision and Craigen's face disappeared from view.
     "I... love you," Craigen gasped as the spell took hold and Lisette 
fell into a timeless sleep.  At the same time, Craigen felt his heartbeat
slow as he fell to the cold stone floor.  He had used all of his magic and 
energy to cast the sleep spell, and now was left with nothing.  His dying 
thoughts were of his adopted daughter, Lisette, for whom he died to save.

*****************************************************************************

Present time and day
     "As the minutes ticked by, Brooklyn finally gave into his concern and
hesitantly laid a hand on her small shoulder.  "Lisette?"
     Instantly Lisette's eyes focused once more on the assembled group.
"I'm sorry.. like I was saying, one day in the summer, when I was 17 years of
age, the château was attacked by the mighty Roman army.  Lucky for the lord
of the manor, he was away fighting other battles with most of his guards--
unfortunate for us because we only had a small contingent of guards to 
protect the château.  Needless to say, it was easily taken.  Still, all would
have been fine, the Romans not much for killing a harmless girl and an aging
man, if they just hadn't been so superstitious.  Some of the warriors saw the
stone statues of my sleeping clan and..." at this point Lisette stopped in 
her telling, finding it difficult to finish.
     "Lisette, you don't have..." Brooklyn began, squeezing her shoulder
gently.
     Shaking her head, Lisette strained to hold back her tears of sorrow
and changed them instead to tears of anger, causing her eyes to burn that
same eerie green.  "Those *barbarians* began shattering my clan till each
gargoyle they touched was nothing more than a pile of dust," Lisette 
interrupted with a fierceness that was uncharacteristic for her.  "I.. I was
horror stricken... I realized then that I couldn't save those who had already
been murdered, but in hopes of sparing the others, I attacked the barbarians
with my magic..."
     After a few moments of silence, Lexington couldn't take the suspense
any longer.  "Well, what happened?" he asked, staring at her beautifully
horror stricken face, images of his own shattered clan flashing before his
eyes.
     "I was stupid," Lisette said simply, a sea of pain hidden behind her
large blue eyes.  "I was attacked from behind and then locked in iron 
shackles--the iron nullified my magic for some reason.. I was then forced to 
watch the destruction of my clan."
     Shaking his head, Brooklyn realized that for the first time, he had
no real idea what to say.
     "Later, I was accused of witchcraft and taken to the French city of 
Reims for execution by burning at the stake.  Bound by iron, I could do
nothing as the burning heat consumed the hay around me.  Before I could be
seriously harmed by the flames, a blue mist surrounded me and when it was 
gone I found myself in a cavern with my mentor, Craigen.  Realizing that I
could never again be safe in our time, he then used the last of his magic to
place me in a sleep that would last until the world was once more safe for
me.." Lisette trailed off sadly.  "He used everything he had to cast that 
final spell, and must have d