Fred clambered up the ladder and onto the roof. He stood on the peak and had his first good view of the city,and his blood ran cold. The streets were lit with torch fires and the roar of the huge mob echoed off the walls of the city. A few buildings burned while large crowds gathered around and cheered when the walls collapsed in on themselves. Fred noticed the abandoned cistern was also on fire. The people were lighting any and all unoccupied buildings to find more gargoyles. Guards busted down doors of buildings where they received no reply, and babies screamed in terror. It was a city gone mad with fear, and all over a single gargoyle girl.
Fred had his doubts that this people could face an army of humans, much less the menace of Canavar and the creatures under his control. His roaming eyes found something strange in the chaos. Wisps of pure white smoke rose up from the fires, and where the crowds were the thickest he beheld a white glow that emanated from the people themselves. He wondered if they hadn't covered themselves in some unknown substance to illuminate their way in the dark.
He spotted movement far off on the roof, and hurried to catch up. Fred slid down and climbed up countless roofs, and soon saw that a large group of men stood on the peaks of five roofs. In the center was a smaller, shorter roof, and the men jeered at the occupants who stood there. He didn't need three guesses to know who they captured, and anger boiled up inside him. The pair were probably terrified and quaking in each others' arms.
Fred pulled out his broken stick and it transformed into the staff. The jewel at the end blazed as an emblem of his fury as he hit the roof on which stood one wall of men. The clay roofing tiles crunched beneath Fred's feet, and several of the men turned around. They glared at him, but hesitated to jump him since they weren't sure which side he stood on.
That gave Fred an opening, so he dashed forward to the closest man. Fred batted the head of his staff into the side of the man's face, which knocked him unconscious and flung him from the roof. The others cried out in fury and jumped him, but Fred stepped back and caught them off balance. He dug his heels into the clay tiles and pushed off into the men with his staff swinging with an accuracy he never remembered having before. Fred bashed heads, butted stomachs, and knocked knees. If they didn't immediately slide off the roof he made sure they were at least unconscious.
In a few moments his roof was cleared and he had a straight shot at the surrounded roof. Pat and the gargoyle girl stood in the center of their captors, but they weren't defenseless. Pat held a thick wood board, and the end had indents where she'd smashed it into many a hard head. The gargoyle girl had her claws extended from her outstretched hands and her tail behind her cracked like a whip.
Pat noticed Fred and her eyes showed her relief. "You know, I'm really getting tired of this city," she told him.
He snorted, and jumped over to stand with his back against hers, and the gargoyle girl completing their little triangle. The gap he'd made on that single roof was closed by more guards, cutting them off from a clean exit. "Better get used to them," he scolded her.
"Thanks," she grumbled back. One of the men jumped at them and Fred jabbed the butt end of his staff into the man's gut. Their assailant doubled over and Fred pushed him away with his foot. The man slid off the roof and disappeared over the side. "Where did you learn to do that? By fending off gophers in the fields?"
"Is that how you treat all you rescuers?" he scolded.
Pat laughed, and gestured at the men who still surrounded them. "You haven't rescued us yet."
Pat was dangerously correct. As they spoke their captors multiplied in numbers as more people climbed the roofs in search of the monster. The men crowded closer and closer to their roof, but none dared jump over and risk a beating before their comrades followed.
Fred had only one plan. He grimaced and leaned back to the girls. "Get ready to jump in case this building collapses," he whispered to them.
Pat's eyes widened and she shot him a terrified look. "What in the world are you-" He raised his staff as he'd done in the cavern. "Fred, don't!"
Too late. He brought the end of his stick down on the small roof and a shock wave stretched down to the ground. The wave stretched out from defensive wall to defensive wall, and everything shook with the vibrations. The building they were on swayed, but stayed up. That was more than their captors could say as their weight destabilized the roof and caused them to collapse.
Unlike the previous time Fred had caused the earthquake in the cavern, this time the tremors didn't stop. He lifted his staff off the roof and still the shaking didn't cease. Pat lost her balance and knocked into him. She grabbed his arm and looked up into his face with frightened eyes. "Why isn't it stopping?" she asked him.
Fred's face was pale and he glanced down in disbelief at the staff in his outstretched, shaking hands. "I-I don't know! I don't know how I even do that!"
The frenzy of the mob was replaced with the fear of every inhabitant for their lives. The gates were swept open by the multitudes of panicked citizens who stormed them to escape the crumbling walls and houses. With Hawkins at the lead the guards guided the people to the gates as orderly as they could manage.
Amongst all the confusion and fear, the city was struck with a loud, hard, single vibration. It swept over every square inch of the city, but didn't travel farther than the walls. When it stopped, all the earth stopped shaking. There was no more earthquakes, no more tremors; nothing but silence.
Fred and the other two looked around in awe at the quiet city. The citizens gaped at their calm, unmoving surroundings and at each other. Fred glimpsed something strange wind its way through the streets from the direction of the castle. It was a ribbon of white fog a few feet wide and so thick he couldn't see anything inside of it. The fog doused the fires, and when it passed over a person they came out the other end calm and tired. Many adults yawned, and the children fell asleep.
The three companions backed up against each other when the fog passed by them. Wisps floated over the top of the roof, but otherwise it left them alone and floated on to the front of the city. The ribbon of fog reached the front gates,and when it hit the wall it dissipated. Nothing remained of so thick a block of moisture.
Pat blinked and glanced at Fred. "That wasn't you, was it?" she asked him. Fred shook his head. "That's what I thought." She turned to the gargoyle girl, who stood quivering at their sides. Pat gently took her hand and led her toward the base of the roof. "Come on, we still need to get you back to your dad."
"Don't try the cistern. That got burnt up," Fred told them.
Pat paused and pursed her lips together. "That means the only entrance is through the kitchen, so we'd better hurry to the castle. After Ned's and your display of magic there will be extra guards around the castle."
"Ned's magic?" Fred repeated.
The girl sighed and glanced over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "Who else do you think stopped your magic? Only a castor can cancel a castor."
Fred shrugged. "I don't know."
Pat gestured at his staff which was once more a broken stick. "If you're going to be using that thing than maybe you'd better start knowing."
Fred winced. She was right, he had been reckless using that earthquake move when he didn't know how he did it or how to cancel it out. Pat led the gargoyle girl along the rooftops, and Fred slowly followed behind. In a few minutes they reached the end of the houses and the open area before the castle gates. They ducked down over the peak of the final roof and looked out on their final hurdle. The gates stood open in case of an emergency evacuation, but all but a scarce contingency of the guards were in the city directing the housing and rescue effort.
Even with so few guards they had no way of sneaking the gargoyle inside without being caught. Lady Luck proved to be on their side, or rather Lady Martley. She came out of the castle and had a word with the guards. To the surprise of the three, the guards lined up and marched down into the city. Martley folded her arms across her ample chest and waved them off. The moment they were out of sight of the castle gates, Martley's eyes turned to the hidden companions. "All clear," she whispered to them. The three looked at each, and none of them moved. Martley's voice told her impatience. "Hurry! More may come, and I can't distract them all."
Pat frowned. "She could if she took off all her clothes," she muttered.
"She helped me once before, so let's go," Fred replied. He took hold of the gargoyle girl's hand and guided her down off the roof, with Pat at the rear. They hurried across the open area and into the relative safety and seclusion of the castle courtyard.
Martley smiled and bowed her head at the group. "Good evening, young people. Quite an interesting night, isn't it?"
Pat shoved her way to the front of the group. "How did you know we were out here?" she questioned the older woman.
Martley smirked. "It must have been a lucky guess," she replied in a sweet voice.
"Lucky guess my foot. You knew we were out here so-"
Martley held up her hand and pointed behind the companions. They turned and saw shadows dancing on the walls toward them. "You may want to hurry inside before your friend here is found," Martley suggested.
Fred grabbed both girls by the wrists, bowed his head at the Lady, and dragged the pair into the castle. They shut the doors behind themselves and tiptoed over to the nearest column, where they hid. Fred peeked around the side toward the kitchen while Pat looked around the other.
On Pat's end she heard many frantic voices in the large dining hall, and the king boomed over them. "Quiet now! I tell you there is nothing more to worry about. All has been taken care of by Lady Martley, and our lives are in no danger whatsoever."
"Lady Martley?" Pat repeated in bewilderment.
"But what about the monster?" a frightened woman asked him.
A fist pounded against a hard table. "Damned be that monster! It's probably just a child dressed as a creature to scare the light of heart."
One Fred's side he heard a pot rattle and many noises down the hall. They would have to concoct another distraction to get the cooks out of there. Fred felt a tug on his sleeve and turned to find it was Pat. "Let's get her upstairs for now. After everyone's gone to sleep we can help her get back to the cavern," she suggested.
Fred nodded, and they guided the gargoyle up the stairs and onto the balcony. When they neared the opening to the hall that led to their bedrooms, the door to the dining room burst open and the king stomped out. "I shall prove to your doubting eyes that all is well!" he screamed at those still in the room. A retinue of well-dressed people followed behind him like lost chicks, and the three companions squished against the wall and slid down to the floor to avoid detection.
Fred could see through the rungs of the balcony banister and noticed a familiar face among the group. It was Lord Sturgeon of Tramadore, and his son Percy followed close at his side. The pair were less troubled with the city's problems than the other guests, and paused at one of the columns while all the others went outside.
The doors shut behind the other guests, and Percy turned to his father. "Has King Stephen told you what plans he has for Lady Lamikan?"
Sturgeon raised an eyebrow. "Lady Lamikan? She is no more a lady than that fool is a king," he snapped, and gestured to where Stephen had gone.
"If you insist, father, but have you perceived his intentions toward her?" Percy insisted.
Sturgeon frowned and shook his head. "I can't get any information from him, but now is hardly the time to speak. Let us talk further in my room."
They turned toward the stairs and the companions slunk into the hall. Once out of sight they rushed down the hall and came to the intersecting passage. Pat and Fred turned to her bedroom, but a servant girl was in a room not far down the hall. Thinking quickly, Fred grabbed the gargoyle and guided her to the room he shared with Ned. Pat noticed them halfway down the hall.
"Not that way!" she hissed, but hurried to catch up.
The three slipped into the room and Fred closed the door behind them. He leaned against the wood and wiped his sweaty brow. "That was close," he muttered.
Pat was in his face in a moment while the gargoyle stood back and watched them. "We need to take her to my room!" Pat hissed.
Fred rolled his eyes and gestured around the room. "She'll be just as safe in here! Nobody comes here except Ned and me," Fred snarled back.
Pat scowled, and grasped one of the gargoyle girl's arms. "What about that chambermaid that told us about the cavern? She came in here." She pulled the girl toward the door, but Fred grabbed her other arm. He yanked them back
"Only to make my bed. She won't come back now, but you'll have a bunch of girls in there helping you get dressed tomorrow," he replied.
Pat yanked at the poor girl, and Fred pulled back. "Tomorrow? How long do you think either of us can hide her? We need to get her back to her father before he's driven mad with worry!" she pointed out.
"Pull any harder and you may have a problem in all of your hands," a voice quipped. All three of their heads swiveled around to the doorway, and Ned stood there with a smile on his face.
Fred and Pat looked at each other, then back at their gargoyle friend. Her face showed the pain of their tug-of-war with her arms. They dropped her stretched arms, plastered wide, fake smiles on their faces and stepped together so their shoulders pressed against each other. That didn't quite hide the gargoyle girl behind them.
Ned chuckled and leaned on his staff as he looked the three over. "I suspected you two had something to do with tonight's chaos, but the gargoyle is a nice touch to the surprise."
"Um, you didn't hear anything about this from us," Fred told him.
Ned smiled. "In this case seeing is believing," he replied. He stepped over to the young gargoyle and bowed his head. "Good evening, young miss. You look very much like a fellow I used to know. I believe his name was Sampson."
The girl's eyes lit up. "You know my father?"
Ned chuckled. "Well, well, indeed I do, and I'm glad to hear he's still alive, but where is he and how did you come to be here?"
"We reside in a cavern deep beneath the castle," she told him. She blushed and looked at the ground. "And I am the one who caused the trouble this night. If I hadn't been curious to see the fireworks than none of this would have happened."
Ned kindly smiled and walked between the two youngsters who guarded her. He put a gentle hand on the gargoyle girl's shoulder, and she gaze into his wise old eyes. "Don't trouble yourself too much, young miss. I have yet to hear that anyone was seriously harmed, though there are reports of several being slightly mauled by a cantankas." Fred cringed. That was partly his doing though he had little control over the beast.
Pat glared at Fred. "Did you let that beast out to attack the citizens?" she scolded him.
Fred scowled back at her. "I didn't let him do anything, he crashed through the wall and saved Canto and me from the mob."
"I'm sorry." The small voice interrupted them, and the pair turned to the gargoyle girl. Tears pooled in her eyes and her shoulders shook. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want any of this to happen, and it's all my fault that you two are fighting and the city is in such ruins."
Ned clucked his tongue and shook his head. "Now look at what you're arguing has done. You've frightened her." He led the girl over to the bed, sat them both down, and took one of her hands in both of his. "Where are my manners? I haven't yet introduced myself. My name is Ned." The two youngsters looked at each other and blushed; through all that trouble they hadn't even gotten her name.
"My name is Ruth," she replied with a sniffle.
Ned smiled. "That's a very pretty name. Is this your first adventure outside the caves?" She nodded. "Do you want to go back to your father?" She surprised all of them when she shook her head. Ned raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"
Ruth glanced over to Fred and Pat. "I owe them my life. If they hadn't come to rescue me I don't know what would have happened. A life-debt must be paid with servitude, or I save their lives."
Fred blinked, but Pat vehemently shook her head and stepped toward the girl with her hands up and waving. "It was nothing, really. You need to go back to your father and the others. It's much safer-"
Ruth stood stiffly and stared Pat straight in the eyes. "A life-debt can't be forgiven, and I can't return to my people until I have fulfilled my debt."
Ned chuckled. "Not even to inform your father of your debt?" he pointed out.
Ruth cringed and blushed. "Perhaps it would be wise to do that."
"I imagine that isn't easy, or my two bold companions here would have sent you back already," Ned commented.
"The secret entrance is beneath the kitchen," Fred informed him.
"We planned to take her down there later tonight," Pat chimed in.
Ned pulled at his beard and shook his head. "Sounds risky, especially as I heard the guests for your birthday party have insisted on doubling the guards inside and outside the castle."
Pat threw up her arms. "Then do you have a better plan?"
Ned jumped up onto his feet and pointed his staff toward the gargoyle. "Actually, yes. Just hold still, Ruth, this won't hurt a bit."
Before any of them could argue, particularly Ruth, a beam of light shot from his staff and struck her on the head. It exploded into a million dazzling glitters of light that rained down over her entire body. Each small piece of glitter touched her skin and changed the color from dark to pale. Her pointed ears lowered and morphed into human ears, and her tail and wings completely dissolved. The feet flattened and split into ten toes, and her clawed hands developed long, slender fingers. The only gargoyle aspect of her that remained the same were her red eyes, though the color dulled. Ruth looked down at herself and screamed. Fred, Pat, and Ned jumped forward and clapped their hands over her mouth. Pat glared at Ned. "What the hell have you done to her?" she hissed at him.
He sheepishly grinned. "Not quite the thanks I was expecting, but you will be able to take her through the castle without any problems."
"And how is she supposed to turn back?" Pat asked him.
Ned scrunched up his face, dug into his cloak with his free hand, and pulled out a small, golden necklace with a round piece of glass in the center. Inside the glass lay the colorful sparkles like those that had changed Ruth. "This should do the trick. A rub on the glass and she transforms right back. At least, I think it will."
"You think it will?" Pat repeated.
Ned shrugged. "It's been a number of years since it's been tried, and the results were, well, not satisfactory." Ruth's eyes widened in horror, and Pat growled.
"What the hell does that mean?" Pat questioned him.
"Well, let us just say that the gentleman in question later gave birth to five healthy children."
Ruth squealed, and Fred noticed her face turn a terrible shade of blue. "Guys, I think we're suffocating her."
Ned and Pat turned their heads and noticed the gargoyle was too terrified to do anything but listen to their conversation. They pulled their hands from her mouth and, by habit, she took a deep, gasping breath. She turned her pleading eyes on Ned. "I'm not trapped in this human form forever, am I?"
Ned pursed his lips together and slid the trinket over her neck. "There is only one way to be sure."
Ruth took the necklace in her shaking hands and pressed her fingers against the glass. She lightly rubbed the surface, and a bright light shot out of the center. It engulfed her in a rainbow of colors for a few seconds, and sucked back into the glass just as quickly to reveal Ruth back in her true form. She looked down at herself and her face lit up with a bright smile. "It worked!" she exclaimed.
Pat looked over to Ned and narrowed her eyes. "It better have or Ned would have had some explaining to do to Sampson," she grumbled.
Ned coughed and straightened. "Yes, well, a happy ending is a happy ending. Rub the glass to revert to your human form, and no one will be the wiser." Ruth rubbed the glass again, and the transformation worked as before only quicker and with less flare. She laughed and switched between her two forms in a swirling mix of colors and an amalgamation of gargoyle and human. Ned jumped forward and put his hand over the trinket. He stopped on her human form. "Best not switch too quickly. You may become permanently stuck between both forms."
Ruth paled and dropped the trinket onto her chest as though she'd been burned. Pat slipped behind Ruth and pushed her toward the door. "Let's leave before he has other bright ideas."