Authors' Note: Gargoyles and everything associated with them belong to Buena Vista and Disney.  Also, the character of Zelgadis Graywords is the property of Hajime Kanzaka, Rui Araizumi, TV Tokyo and Software Sculptures.  They do not belong to Clan LeFemme and we make no claims to them.  This is done purely for fun.  The characters of Shaylyn, Storm, the egg, Sunshine, and Blake Adams do belong to Clan LeFemme and may not be used without express permission.  The characters of Skydancer, Lisette, Byrdie Fae, Firedancer, Shadow, Pen, and Merlyn belong to each of the authors respectively and may also not be used without permission.  Feedback is welcomed, just please be constructive.  This is the next segment of the Clan LeFemme Series.  Enjoy! :)

Also, please visit the Clan's homepage to see pictures of some of the characters as well as the authors' own character descriptions, floor plans for Janua Caeli, and another peak at the Clan's stories at: http://www.geocities.com/clanlefemme/

Description:  Will help arrive in time for those trapped in Sky's cavern... or will there be nothing left to rescue in the end?

Rating: PG-13 for content and language.

Previously...

    Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, Lisette stared up into the lawyer's bright blue eyes.  "And how would you do that, Monsieur Adams?"

    "Well, I'd start by letting you call me Blake," he joked, his smile falling short as her set frown never wavered.  "Uh... and by treating you to dinner tonight?" he asked hopefully, surprising himself.

    "I accept," Lisette replied suddenly, surprising them both.

    "... What makes you so sure that they will return to the mansion? Castellum is a fairly large city."

    "Oh they'll be back," Fire chuckled humorlessly. "We've got something they want it seems."

    "Oh?" the Guild Master asked his curiosity piqued.

    "Yeah an egg. Looks like a gargoyle egg, but the markings seem a little funny to me.  Now I'll be more prepared when they show up anywhere near this building. Mike is rigging me a portable alert system. That way I don't have to be glued to the monitors all the time."

    Skydancer carefully packed the rich soil around the small fern she had recently moved. The earth was very fertile, even in the winter cold, and had enabled her much needed and rarer shrubs to grow here.  Her bare hands were buried deep within the soil, the rich fragrances of the plants enveloping her. A riot of color from the vegetation and flowers she had sown into the earth were scattered all around her.

    She shivered suddenly as the gray shadows caught up with her, obscuring the last haunting rays of the moon and leaving an ominous portent of disaster firmly entrenched in her mind. Very slowly Sky stood up, dusting the damp soil from, first her hands, and then her leather dress before she tilted her head to look up at the waning moon above her in the tree.  Something was amiss.

    And then her pager went off.

    "Aw hell no," she breathed as she pulled it out and pushed the button.  Thankfully the readings were feint, barely registering in fact. They were coming from the other side of the city, up in the mountains it looked like, but there was too much interference for the computers to get a definite lock on the signal. She would have to get closer to find out what the two were up to now.

    Sky's white teeth flashed a predator's gleam. She knew they were near, unseen. The gargoyle had radar senses well tuned.  The cold air she pushed before her with her wings moved the pressing air away, parting it easily so that she didn't even have to slow down.  As she did so the humorless smile faded from her face, leaving the familiar hard edge to her mouth.  There was a hint of cruelty there, the cold mask of the hunter.  She smelled them.  The enemy.  They had reached her.

    Gasping, Lisette tore her eyes away from Blair's embarrassed countenance and watched as the sky above Sky's Mountain seemed to flicker with a bright light before dying away into darkness.  "Qu'est-ce que c'est..." she trailed off as the sky lit up once more, this time with bright lightning that seemed to flare from no where and smash into the mountain itself.  "Byrdie, I think that we may have trouble," she began, recognizing Skydancer's attack anywhere.

    Byrdie continued to look straight up to the mountain, a frown on her usually mischievous face. "Something that may include our Evil Duo, if you know what I mean, Imouto-chan..."  She turned quickly back to the couple behind her and winked at Lisette.  "I'll meet you up there, Imouto-chan."

    Sighing, Lisette eyed Blake from his position on the frozen ground, noting his slack jaw and frozen expression, and slowly shook her head.  "I am sorry, mon ami, but there is no time for me to explain this now," she called out apologetically as she watched her fae sister disappear in a sparkle of magic.  "I'm sorry," she repeated one more time as she closed her eyes and called her magic to her.  Instantly, she felt her the magicks wrap around her as she pictured the majestic clearing that stood before Sky's Cave.  Then, as she began to disappear, she felt a strong hand latch onto her jacket.  Eyes snapping open, Lisette stared into Blake's bright blue orbs in shocked horror.  "Blake, no-" she broke off as they both disappeared, leaving the park alone once more in the dark night.

    A spectrum of multicolored lights ripped through the air and formed a sort of disco ball, then turning unexpectedly to charge in the witch-woman’s direction.  Though it was a good, heavy attack, however, it wasn’t a very fast one in the least — Shaylyn gave the Fae an underhanded smirk and dodged it rather easily.  “You think a display of pretty lights will stop me, you ignorant little Trickster?” she sneered, violet eyes dancing with black mirth.  “I should see that you learn your lesson.  Let your iron will be your own manacle!”

    Byrdie had been taken by surprise and she gasped loudly as chains suddenly whipped around her, the air rushing out of her lungs.  The metal tightened around her legs, and arms mercilessly — iron. “Oh shit...” she squeaked, feeling her powers slowly draining away.

    She was floating down out of the sky herself when Shaylyn cackled again and wrapped her slender fingers around one of the links of the chain with an iron grip, lifting the Trickster up into the air like a prize.  “My trophy for this night!”

     "They've got Byrd!!" Sky shouted above the high winds, not wanting to give in to their fierce onslaught.  "We've got to get her...."  Suddenly, Sky cut off what she was about to say as she spotted a fierce bolt of lightning forming in Storm's hand and being fired directly at her and the others.

    "NO!!!!" Sky screamed.  Before anyone knew what was happening, Sky spread her wings wide and threw herself at Lisette and Firedancer, tumbling into them.  Unbeknownst to the gargess, Blake had been standing behind the mage and was also thrown into the cave, clearing a rough patch of rock that laid at its entrance behind the tangled vines of the waterfall.  Fiery light crackled and snapped, then hit the ground upon which the cave stood.  The noise was tremendous; the blow shook the earth.  The whip of electricity sizzled and retreated, leaving a patch of blackened, scarred rock behind.

     Inside the cavern, the mountain heaved and the chamber walls collapsed.  Cracks widened in the narrow passageway and the rock faces inched closer and closer together.  The clap of granite grinding against granite and iron burst all around the four inside the cave.  Rock rained down all around them, closing them inside, sealing them within its entombed walls. The last thing Skydancer remembered as she hurtled herself towards the others was the loss of her precious home and all that it had meant to her.  And then there was silence.

     She heard voices, and what sounded like Lisette's soft crying.  Ignoring her own pounding headache, Fire secured the Medallion in her pouch and rushed back through the collapsed tunnel, casting a large ball of flame into the center of the small space where Lisette and Sky lay half buried.  The young human male Lisette had brought with her whirled in surprise from where he had been kneeling by Lisette's side.   She wasn't thrilled by what she saw.  Her eyes roamed over the rocks that had her friend pinned and she realized sickly that the rock which was resting on Lisette was also a critical point under the slide that had her trapped.  If Fire tried to dig her out from the inside, she would bring half the mountain down on them all.

    Lost in his own world, Blake brushed away the rock from the crack, widening it as his eyes focused on the dull golden gleam that had caught his eye in the flickering firelight.  Puzzled, he cleared more rocks away until he was able to slip his fingers into the crack, wrapping around smooth leather as he pulled the object from the wall.  "It's a book," he muttered, holding the thin, leather bound book in one hand as the other traced over the golden etchings.

    "Hey, would you guys listen to this," Blake broke in, finally tearing his eyes away from the book as he turned back to Lisette.  "It says:

    With each word that Blake spoke, Lisette felt the hairs on her covered arms begin to rise.  Turning her head very slowly, Lisette met Fire's dark eyes and slowly opened her mouth before closing it once again.  "Surely you do not think that.." she trailed off, her mind turning over the worlds slowly.

    Removing the last of the debris from Sky, the firewielder palmed a firelight and guided it along the injured gargoyle's body.  Her arm was bent at an unnatural angle, but what caught her attention was the obvious blood oozing from Skydancer's head.  Brushing blood slicked hair back, Fire examined the ugly gash that ran from the base of Sky's skull to just behind her ear.

    "Listen," Fire whispered once they were out of hearing range. "I have to be straight with you Blake," she began looking into his eyes.

    Trying to avert his gaze, Blake slowly swallowed before meeting the gargess's dark eyes.  "She's not good is she?" he asked, afraid of the answer but needing to hear it nonetheless.

    "No... it's more complicated than you think, too," Fire sighed. "One of our friends knows we're up here, but she is a gargoyle like Sky and I. We all turn to stone at dawn, so she won't be here until tomorrow evening. Lisette doesn't have that much time," the gargoyle admitted grimly.

   "But... isn't there anything we can do?" Blake asked, growing frustrated at his helplessness.

    "Listen, I'm still seeing double every now and then from the knock on the head I took. Sky's out of it completely, and that rock sitting on Lisette is compressed iron ore. It's left her powerless and is slowly crushing her. We have almost six hours before dawn and with her bleeding out in places that I can't even get too, she'll be lucky to live that long. I'm sorry," Fire told him sincerely.  "I'll be able to keep her warm, and keep her shock at bay, but that's about it," Fire sighed, her own heart heavy with the thought of losing someone she had begun to think of as a friend. "Maybe... maybe we'll get lucky and someone will come tonight, but... well in case we don't get out of here tonight, I thought I should let you know."

    Unable to say anything more they both headed back to Lisette. Blake knelt by her side and took her hand, a sketchy grin forcing its way onto his face for the mage's benefit. Fire just knelt between her and Sky and seemed to go into a meditative state. After a few minutes, her talons reached out to gently rest on both female's heads, and then she began to pour her own life-heat into them.

Skydancer's Cavern

    As the cool night wind surged throughout the forest that surrounded Castellum deGens, not a breath of air squeezed through the jumble of broken, jagged rock that lined the entrance to the cavern.  Old wooden furnishings lay crushed and splintered amongst the rubble of stone that littered the dusty stone floor, weakly lit by a scattering of billowing torches.  Here, time seemed to slowly trickle by, each minute turning into an eternity of baited silence, broken only by the sharp crackle of the settling stone and the ragged and in some cases, labored breathing of her inhabitants.

    Sighing, Blake shifted carefully on the hard stone floor, feeling every scratch and bruise on his battered body as the cold stone seemed to leach the heat from his body.  Who would have thought that a simple date could go so wrong?  Shaking his head slowly, his blue eyes shifted to Lisette's still form, lying only a few feet away, pinned beneath a massive slab of iron ore that pinned her arms by her side and hid her torso from view.  For some, things were much, much worse.

    Wincing, Blake shifted once more, drawing his tattered and dusty leather jacket tighter around his lean frame.  The zipper had been damaged somehow during the cave-in, and now he used his stiff and frozen fingers to try and hold the material together.  Blinking away sleep, his eyes focused on the book, found in a crevice in the wall, that had captivated him for the last few hours.  Now, his eyes ached from trying to read the pages under the flickering torchlight, having soon realized the ridiculousness of his actions -- the pondering of his own death seeming much more pertinent -- that or the death of others.

    Turning once more, Blake watched as the red creature, called Firedancer, shifted restlessly from her position between Lisette and the other creature, called Skydancer, or so it seemed.  He knew that neither were doing so hot, but by the glow emanating from Firedancer's hands and the sweat that poured down her face, he had to assume that she was helping them somehow.  Or so he hoped.

    And she was, even as the throbbing in her head was becoming steadily worse with every beat of her heart.  Ever since her transformation, Fire had never had the need to use her powers so much or for so long in a single night. Now, as her body began to tremble with her effort to continue keeping her fallen friends from sinking into the deadly grasp of shock, she realized that her abilities had their limits too. Thankfully, Sky's breathing had seemed to ease up as her own natural healing abilities kicked in, but Lisette was another matter.

    "What time is it?" Fire asked between clenched teeth.

    Blake squinted at his watch in the dim light. "Two thirty," he responded grimly. He didn't fully comprehend what Fire was doing, but he knew that she was doing her best to keep Lisette alive awhile longer. It was also becoming obvious that her efforts were becoming more and more strained with each passing minute.

    "Fire maybe you should take a break-" he began to suggest when she shook her head adamantly.

    "No!" the crimson gargess hissed out, her eyes moving to Lisette's. "I'm not going to give up again and lose someone else," she swore in a fierce whisper.

    The whisper echoed throughout the cavern, bouncing off the rocks that blocked their way out.  The dimness of the rocky out cove magnified the intensity of their situation reflected by the raspiness of the harsh breathing of both the young mage and the unconscious gargoyle laying on the hard floor.  The situation was perilous, and none wanted to give in to that fear.

    "Two thirty?" Lisette whispered weakly, startling both gargoyle and human.

    "Hey," Blake whispered quietly, by her side in an instant with a soft hand brushing against her cheek.  "How long have you been awake?"

    Smiling despite her pain, Lisette did her best to focus on his warm blue eyes.  "Bon question," she murmured, struggling to shift her aching body beneath the massive weight that seemed to grind into her ribs.. if she even had any of those left.  By now, she couldn't really tell for her entire body was alight with a fire of pain.  But strangely enough, the cold rock that had seeped the heat from her bones before now seemed to be working against nature as they radiated heat into her body.  Turning her head slightly, Lisette quickly found the reason why.  "Mon ami... what.. what are you doing?" she asked, her hazy eyes focusing on Fire's weary face.

    Fire felt a little relief flood through her as the mage stirred. However weak she may be, at least she was still alive and fighting. Lisette's will to live would do far more than anything Fire herself could do. A sketchy smile worked across Fire's grime covered features. "Hey... look who's still awake."  Fire said as lightly as possible. The firewielder took a brief break, knowing that the stones would stay warm long enough for her to recheck the young mage's waning vitals. Fire had to close her talons and take a deep breath to keep them from shaking before she leaned over Lisette, whose gaze she couldn't seem to avoid.

    "I'd give my left wing right now for the ability to heal just once more," Fire muttered under her breath. Her guard had relaxed and her mind had grown so numb, that Fire didn't even realize that she had spoken the words out loud until she looked down to see Lisette's eyes widening slightly. "Damn. I'm sorry Lis. I shouldn't have said that," she began, not realizing what exactly she had revealed with that statement. "You're going to be okay..... I'm just feeling frustrated that there isn't more I could do," the theif lied quickly.

    "Healing?" Blake asked quickly, his eyebrows jumping up as he turned his confused eyes to Lisette.  "They.. they can do that?" he asked in amazement, watching as Lisette seemed to mirror his own confusion.

    "Not usually," Lisette murmured, her mind alight with her friend's words.  She was able to heal at some point?  What happened so that she couldn't now?  "Fire?" she prompted, her head aching with the possibilities.

Astral Realm, Storm and Shaylyn’s Manor: Dark Room

    “Sit down, Bob... you’re rockin’ th’ ... damn boat... ~urk~...”

    Sick and half conscious, Byrdie Fae managed to murmur that much to herself before curling herself into a tighter ball on the cold, iron floor that she had been thrown down on very ungracefully and painfully by Shaylyn what seemed to have been a little over a few hours ago. Slowly, with somewhat laborious concentration, the petite Fae had twisted her body in many ways, flopping helter-skelter on the floor like a fish out of water (or in this case, a Fae out of magic) until she wrestled the heavy iron chains off of her. After that, she could only lie there—delirious—an inch of will power from throwing up all over herself.

    Opening her dark eyes at a snail's pace, the Trickster looked around the ‘room’ she had been dumped into. As if there was much to see in the first place. “Heh... hic... I should talk to the mana— management around this dump... a... high standin’ Trickster like me should... cough... at least get a Jacuzzi...”

    Even after saying that, Byrdie didn’t have the strength to crack a grin. Silence settled into the room and bounced off its heavily shadowed walls—it was as if the Faerie’s mirthless demeanor depressed the dark environs as well. “Damn... this sucks eggs... cough...” she had croaked blandly when the old doorknob to the huge iron door across the room from her rattled and squeaked unexpectedly. After a few tense moments of waiting for the door to swing open, the hinges creaked and moaned until the passage was open by about two feet, a dim light, most likely from a lantern, shined through the opening and into Byrdie’s eyes. She tried to shy away with an audible gulp, expecting the life-like remake of a horror movie to start.

    However, to her surprise, it wasn’t a slimy, slithering, Faerie-eating monster that crawled out into the room after her—instead, the sight made her quite relieved. The visitor was definitely humanoid with a distinctly male outline against the darkness. He was a little over average height and a bit on the slim slide, not a man of the hulking, intimidating variety. I’m glad he doesn’t have tentacles... Byrdie supposed with what turned out to be a weak shrug.  “So... what’re you... here for, buddy-boy...?” she queried, fighting to keep her eyes open. “Didn’t think... I could get room service.”

    “That’s your problem...” the shadow covered figure answered in a steady voice that inadvertently sent shivers down the dark-haired Faerie’s spine (good or bad, she couldn’t concentrate long enough to figure out), “... You didn’t think.” Leaving no room for explanation of this curious statement, he treaded heavily over to her side and slid thin, hard fingers through the captive’s belt and lifted her high off of the ground and over his shoulder. There, he clamped thick shackles to her wrists—iron shackles, no doubt. “Come along, tiny one.”

    “Like I have a frickin’ choice...  Look, buster, I don’t know about you, but if you try any fu—” Byrdie instantly regretted opening her mouth when her stomach settled into her belt right where Shaylyn had the nerve to knee her before she had blacked out.  A small, sickening sound escaped Byrdie’s lips and she bit down hard on her cheek as agony flared through her tummy. “... urk... I am so going to get that bitch back for that one...” she griped heatedly when she was finally at rest over the guard’s shoulder.

    Silence settled over them for a few moments before the sentry started walking out of the room again with heavy steps. “... I would have to ask you to refrain from insulting the Mistress like that. Or I shall have to kill you without her consent.”

    “I really don’t think... she’d mind too much...” the Trickster tried to joke, but her words fell on deaf ears. Jeez, aren’t we full of sunshine...? she mused, nose wrinkled. “Hey, where’re you takin’ me anyway, Miss Congeniality? To the baths, I hope?”

    “To the foyer. There’s a cage for you.”

    “Thanks for ruining the surprise.” Sighing heavily, Byrdie went along for the ride as the pain in her stomach started to ebb in waves. Looking around the hall, Byrdie noticed that it was almost as dark as it was in the unlit room she was in. Curious, she looked down to see that the watchman’s lantern had been put out without her ever noticing. Perhaps because it didn’t give much light to even notice in the first place. “Yo, what’s the deal with the... light? Are the two bitches of Eastwick vampires, too? What’d you—put the light out for?”

    The reticent watchman shook his head silently and continued walking straight through the long corridor. “You are not to see my face.”

    A regular Beauty and the Beast type, I bet... the Faerie thought rather impatiently. “Why? ... Are you hideous?”

    “Yes.”

    “...Glad I asked.” Searching for something to change the subject (because if it was one thing she didn’t need, it was a sensitive guard that probably took offense to everything you said), Byrdie stayed quiet for a few minutes, trying to become familiar with her surroundings. There were windows looking out of the hall, but what was outside of those windows was even more curious than perpetual night. It was like a pocket in space, much like her own Astral Pocket back at Janua Caeli. There were stars and space-like designs everywhere. Even creatures. The dark haired Fae let out a bit of a yelp when a huge flying whale appeared out of nowhere and ‘swam’ gracefully beside them, keeping up with the guard. “Oh cripes... that thing’s... starin’ at me...”

    “It probably is curious because it has never seen you before...” the composed sentry replied without much care for the idea. “Faeries are not very common in these parts.”

    “Oh yeah... well who asked you?” Byrdie huffed. “You just hurry up and get me where ever I’m getting’ to... I haven’t got all night to... sit around on your hard shoulder. It’s very uncomfortable up here... in case you didn’t... notice.”

    Obviously annoyed by now, the watchman ‘humphed’ and pushed the Trickster up further on his shoulder, his grip tightening on her left arm. Byrdie could have sworn that he had smiled for the first time when she jerked back and yelped in pain. “... So be it.”

Castellum deGens

    The mage looked forlornly outside the window of her airplane seat.  She had traveled a great distance away from her island nation to come to this alien land -- America.  Her ancient home she had abandoned, determined to end a thousand years of solitary existence.  Something in the land of youth beckoned to her.  A power so great it filled her very bloodlines with magic.

    "Excuse me, Miss?" the steward asked Merlyn, startling the mage out of her reverie.  "You can exit the plane now."

    Glancing up at the young man, Merlyn smiled and nodded.  Picking up her carry on bag, she left her seat and began making her way down the flight steps.

    A calm breeze gently lifted her shoulder length hair away from her neck as she started towards the main gates.  Pausing, Merlyn glanced around.  She sensed something... or someone.

    Standing near the front gates, stood what appeared a young man waiting for Merlyn. He was dressed in a sharp black suit, and his short hair blew in the slight breeze. At his feet was a bag of his own. The feeling intensified as the mage made her way over. And as she got nearer, she saw the man was indeed really a woman.  Staring into the shining blue eyes framed by glasses, Merlyn knew who stood before her.

    "Pen? Is it really you? But how can it be??" Pen grinned as Merlyn hugged her.

    "I do not know! But it has been so long, my friend!"

    Merlyn raised an eyebrow.  "I'll say. Last I saw you was what, over 975 years?"

    Pen nodded. Then her eyes grew more serious.  "Did you feel it too?" she inquired. She gestured to the main gate.

    "Yes, I did. Something very powerful... and it's here in this city." Merlyn said, hefting her bag in her hands. She and Pen walked into the airport.

    "A city called Castellum DeGens. But what is it?" Pen asked. She looked curiously to her teacher in hopes she had an answer.

    "I don't know yet. It's so odd, it feels to be centered about 5 different people..." Merlyn trailed off.

    "Maybe if we find them, we'll know why we're here," Pen suggested.

    "I see you just arrived as well," Merlyn said, noting Pen held her own luggage.

    Pen grinned. "I had a feeling I would meet you here. My plane arrived an hour before yours."

    "From where?" Merlyn asked wryly.  "Where have you been traveling to the past few centuries?"

    A look of pain flashed across Pen's features.  "Can we talk about that later, my mentor? I have a feeling we should find the source of this energy soon," Pen said, trying to change the subject.

    Merlyn noted her pupil's unease. "Of course. Let's go into the city and see what we can find."

Sky's Cavern

    The voices were in the distance, coming from a far off point.  They seemed to echo all around her, none of them coming in too clearly.  She strained to listen, but the thunder booming around her continued to drown them out.   There was a rush of water and then the storm grew louder, further drowning out the voices.  Gasping, she suddenly realized it wasn't thunder or water she heard at all, but the sound of her own blood as it rushed through the pounding of her head.  Groaning, the Skydancer slowly turned and dared to peek one emerald eye open.  She felt the weight of a hundred tons of earth on her chest.

    Grateful for the sudden distraction, Fire looked over at Sky and shifted a little closer to the awakening gargess. One unfocused eye cracked open a bit, and a groan escaped Sky's throat as she became more aware of her surroundings and injuries. Fire rested a reassuring talon on Sky's shoulder as she leaned into her field of view. "And the hero of the night finally awakens," she said quietly to the Skydancer as she began to check her over quickly. The firewielder was all too aware of the dull throbbing in her own skull, so she knew Sky couldn't probably handle any loud noises right now.

    Sky winced at the sound of the red gargess's voice.  Even though the female spoke softly, it still sounded like the horrible booming of a thunder storm overhead.  Drawing in a shaky breath and then gasping a bit at the dust that accompanied it, the tan gargoyle opened both of her eyes and squinted up at her friend.  "Wha... what... happened?" she croaked, her throat sounding as raw as she felt.

    "That bolt from Storm caused the cave to collapse.  You took a bad hit on your head amongst other things, but you saved our lives."  At least for now....  Fire added silently to herself as she looked back at Lisette, still pinned beneath tons of earth and stone.  Even in the dim torchlight, Fire clearly saw just how gray the mage's features were becoming.  Digging into her belt pouch, Fire took out a small packet, eyed it briefly, and then with a sigh opened it and bit down on the bitter pill it contained. Forcing the thing down dry, she closed her eyes and waited as the stimulant began to kick in almost instantly.  The high would only last a few hours, but it would be enough to get her through until dawn.

    Opening her eyes she looked over at Blake.  Cursing at herself, she realized that his jacket and clothing had been damaged and he was beginning to shiver from the cold.  Narrowing her eyes, she willed a small fireball into existence over his head.  He jumped slightly and she grinned apologetically.  "Sorry dude, I was a little distracted and didn't realize you were getting cold," the gargess admitted as she rubbed her talons together and then stretched them back over her two injured friends, resuming her previous task of keeping them warm.

    Arching an eyebrow, Blake carefully tilted his head back and eyed the fireball that seemed to just rest above his head.  "Uh.. no problem," he muttered, carefully sliding lower down the cave wall, trying to keep the open flame as far from his hair as possible.  "Besides, I'll live," he added, locking eyes with the gargess.  "What you're doing over there is way more important than a little case of the shivers."

    Wearily, Lisette smiled softly, completely missing his veiled words, before turning to lock eyes with Skydancer.  "Are.. are you alright, my friend?" she asked, her voice soft and whispery.  "You had us.. worried."

    Skydancer closed her eyes again as the pounding in her head continued.  Taking in several deep breaths before answering Lisette, she let the past few hours rattle quickly through her mind.  "Storm.... Shaylyn.... they attacked us..." the gargess stated to no one in particular, remembering the cave-in.   Opening her green eyes, she looked beyond Lisette at the rock-pile that blocked what had been the entrance to her cavern.  "And they destroyed my home.... they'll pay," she swore, squinting her eyes against the glare that came from the fireball above Blake's head.

    What's a human doing here? Skydancer wondered, suddenly surprised to see him next to her mage friend.  "I've been... better, Lis," the gargess finally answered the mage.  Lifting her head up, she quickly laid back down as the room suddenly spun and a pain shot up through her left arm.  "Oh my stars..."she muttered.  Moving her right hand up slowly to the base of her neck, she felt a stickiness there through the tangled hair.  "How bad am I hurt?" Sky asked as she glanced at the dried flakes of blood on her hand.  "My arm is killing me."

    "Take it easy slugger," Fire ordered gently as the injured gargess suddenly stopped her attempts to move due to the pain it incurred.  "You'll heal with some time and rest, but if your head feels as bad as it looks, that might be a few days.  And don't undo my splint," she continued as Sky began to play with the makeshift device.  "Your arm was broken pretty badly and that will help to make sure it stays aligned until sunrise can heal it."

    Sighing, Lisette felt her mind begin to wander, coasting on what felt like a wave of red velvet, ebbing and flowing as she glided from place to place.  Her friends' conversation was lost upon her as she became lost to them.  All that existed to her was this darkness that shielded her from her pain.  Suddenly, a soft pressure broke through her haze as she sleepily blinked at Blake's concerned eyes, feeling his cool hand gently stroking her cheek.

    "Hey, where'd you go?" he asked, remember how he had asked that very same question a few scant hours before, nothing more on his mind than the beautiful girl that rode in his car beside him.  The circumstances were very different right then.

    "Someplace.. warm," she whispered in return before turning her eyes once more to her friends.  "We.. we could not find Byrdie.  She must.. she must be outside the cavern.. trying to help us," Lisette said slowly, her voice a mere breath of before as she smiled.  "It shan't.. shan't be long."  Then, that smile slowly turned into a troubled frown.  "I hope she is well..." she trailed off, a small tear gathering at the corner of one eye.

    Skydancer turned her head slowly towards Lisette, her face etched with concern.  The gargess did not like the sound of this "warm" place the mage spoke of.  Trying to keep her friend with it, Sky focused in on her last sentence.  "Our fae friend is not outside," the tan gargess rasped out angrily.  "The witch and her husband captured her just before they created this cave-in.  Byrd is their prisoner."

    At Skydancer's angry words, Lisette felt herself pull back in shock, tears now dripping down both cheeks.  Blinking slowly, she felt lost as she slowly turned her head and stared up into Blake's blue eyes in confusion.  "Mais.. ce.. ce n'est pas possible," she murmured, her vision swimming beneath her tears.  "Si elle est blesse..."

    "Shhh," Blake gently whispered, brushing away her warm tears as he shared worried looks with the others.  He didn't even think that Lisette realized what she was saying; he certainly didn't.  "I'm sure that she's fine.  I bet that she escaped... the 'witch'?" he questioned, sending a glance at the wounded creature who had talked about two that they had fought, "after we all got locked up in here..."

    Skydancer shook her head again, closing her eyes a bit against the pain that it generated.  "No... no, she was bound in chains," the gargess responded, glancing at the human closely for the first time.  "Iron ones, no doubt.  If they were, Byrd won't be able to escape."

    "Well iron or not, I'm sure Tinkerbell will give those two a run for their money," Fire added gruffly.  While she wasn't overly fond of the fae, she was by no means happy of the faerie's demise.  But, she was all too familiar with how slick they could be. "The whole lot of them are pros when it comes to finding loopholes.  They'll probably be begging us to take her back within a week," Fire chuckled with a wry smile.

    Taking a deep breath and clutching her arm while she was at it, Sky pushed herself up to a sitting position so that she was able to lean against a boulder that sat next to her.  Inhaling sharply at the pain the movement had generated, the she-goyle sat silently for a few moments allowing Firedancer's soothing heat-aid to help her.  "That's the last time I try that one," Skydancer rasped, fixing her green eyes on the crimson gargess.  "Lisette's not good, is she, Fire?" Sky whispered, nodding towards where Blake and Lisette were, eyes fixed on each other.

    Fire followed Sky's gaze, her eyes hardening.  "She's slowly bleeding out and I can't move her from under those rocks without bringing this whole place down on us," Fire whispered back.  Closing her eyes, she shook her head and sighed.  "I've thought of everything - from creating makeshift supports to melting the rock down around her.  But that rock fall is going to have to be moved from the outside in, otherwise we risk killing all of us.  I may only be able to keep her warm right now, but I'm not going to give up.  Shadow or someone else may come looking for us."  While it could cause her a lot of complications with the Clan, Fire silently hoped that even some of her Guild brothers would check up on her last known whereabouts.  Fingering her necklace, the firedancer wearily contemplated their situation further trying to think of a way to get them all out of this one alive. At least Blake was there to give Lisette the emotional support and strength she needed right now.

    "Hey, look at me," Blake ordered, forcing her chin gently until Lisette's clouded blue eyes were fixed upon his, pulling her away from whatever place she kept drifting.  "Everything and everyone is going to be okay.  Even the little guy.. girl," he quickly corrected, earning a small smile from the girl.  "I promise," he vowed, hoping that he wouldn't later live to regret those very words.

Astral Realm, Storm and Shaylyn’s Manor: Foyer

    Gulping down, Byrdie looked into the vestibule with incredible awe.  If Janua Caeli’s foyer was big, this one was colossal. Furnished with obsidian walls, floors and glass, the carpet and walls had scrolls of long, dark navy that ran down across the black stone, all hemmed with magic runes and symbols thread together with silver and black silk.  Two twin stairways covered with navy and rune-hemmed runners traveled the hollow expanse of the air in a spiral until they rested at the foot of an immense fountain, carved out of obsidian, like the rest of the foyer.  It depicted the form of a huntress and a lover, their hands clamped together as if to share a prayer—shimmering water spurted from the fountain like a sprinkling waterfall, breaking the eerie silence that had been created by the rest of the manor and easing the Fae’s mind somewhat.  But one thing that did get her was that there were candles everywhere, but so little light.  There were candles all along the runners and stair railings, yet even the huge chandelier of silver and glass above offered little illumination to the beautiful, yet ominous foyer.

    “This place is a regular... mausoleum...” the dark-haired Fae whispered to herself, her cursing herself for being weak against iron.  In this place, your senses should be heightened so you could be ready for about anything... which she was not.

    And then there was the huge cage in the center of the ceiling, suspended in air by a long heavy chain so that it was only about five feet above the ground.  It was styled much like a pet bird’s cage—our captive Trickster not amused in the slightest by the more than obvious pun—it was crafted out of thick iron all around.  “Jeez... they don’t give a... Faerie a break, do they Bubba?” Byrdie snorted when the guard mumbled a few words and the door to the cage swung open. “You... know magic, Bubba?”

    “Do stop calling me ‘Bubba’, or I shall have to kill you,” was the single, monotone reply.  Much like Shaylyn had done before, the watchman tossed the weakened Faerie into the cage in which she landed with a crunching thud on her bottom.  “The Master and Mistress will be down shortly—make yourself as comfortable as possible... I offer no more encouragement.”

    “Thanks for the... tip...” Shaking her head to clear it of the cloudiness that had built up from the trip up to the foyer, Byrdie’s dark brown eyes fell on the guard just as he was turning around to leave.  Clad in cream-colored tunic and pants, a matching cape’s hood and mask on the bottom half his face. From what she saw, he had wiry hair and his skin had a bluish-green tint to it, with piercing blue-gray eyes. “...Hey.”

    The departing sentry stopped in his tracks, but made no move as to turn around—Byrdie made nothing of the action, seeing as he probably thought that it would behoove him to leave as soon as possible in the first place.  “Anyway...” she started slowly, wording what she was to say carefully, “...You know I’m a Fae... what are you?  I mean... you’re humanoid... but why else would you try to... hide your face...?”

    The taciturn watchman seemed to consider the question for a few moments, much more than what Byrdie had been expecting of him, to be quite honest.  He then shook his wiry head as slowly as she had spoken before.  “...I am nothing and everything.  A man such as myself should have the right to not show his face... Good-night.”  After his cryptic answer, the masked man stalked off to handle his own affairs back through the same corridor as he arrived, nothing but his echoing footsteps on the stone floor to denote his otherwise noiseless exodus.

    “That was...” Byrdie mused to herself, sitting up as best as she could in the iron birdcage, “... a little less than exciting... Now...” She cracked her knuckles as if to start on a heavy-duty project that included a bit of elbow-grease.  “I shouldn’t be sitting around on my duff, now should I?  Let’s figure a way out of this nut-house before the old bat gets here.”  With another sniff and wriggle of her nose, Byrdie pointed her index finger at the bottom hinge of the cage door.  “Spark,” she whispered to the iron pivot as an Avalonian green mist traveled down her arm to the tip of her finger, building up until it was a warm, red glow...

    ...Then nothing.

    Zip.  Zilch.  Nada.  Nien.  Not a God-blessed thing happened.  Of course, nothing besides the incredible power strain that went along with it.  Swaying back and forth, she felt sick again and fell backwards ungracefully onto the iron floor of the cage with a loud clang.  “Urg... I’m nauseous... I think I’m gonna hurl... I’m gonna start blowing some serious chunks if I don’t get out of here, soon...”

    “Please... do try to keep your innards to yourself, Fae.  My Lady has taken a liking to the flooring...”

    “Oh, now here’s an original entrance for you...” Byrdie muttered under her breath as Storm appeared before the cage, hovering in the air with his large bat wings fanned out behind him.  Well, he looked as handsome and as bleak as ever in his suit of all black, slick black hair and green eyes. He was a regular Don Juan of the dark.  He held a dark aura, no mistaking that, but he also carried himself with the air of... a most satanic air of indifference and persuasion. ...Why did it so remind her of a human occupation?  “Hello, Satan,” the weakened captive piped up with as much cheekiness as she could muster. “Where’s the Missus?”

    “I am here, Faerie…” Shaylyn, more or less on cue, emerged out of an astral riff beside her dark husband, her black eyes reflecting nothing but black mirth. Her outfit had changed from what she had previously fought in, as the second thing that the Faerie noticed, to an Oriental styled array of what turned out to be form-fitting battle-togs of a sort, showing a generous amount of her chest.  Complete with long metal wristbands and knee-high boots, the dark-haired woman was dressed to kill—and was most likely intent upon doing so.  Full lips curling into a half maniacal smile, she reached through the iron bars and gripped Byrdie’s cheeks firmly. Her grin quickly turned into a low chuckle when the shackled Fae let out a reluctant whimper.  Good enough for her... for now, at least.  “I see that you’ve made yourself comfortable in there.  Met our guard, have you?”

    “What, Mr. Sunshine?” Byrdie snorted, shaking her head out of Shaylyn’s grasp.  She let silent horror fall over her and she cringed slightly to see her blood and tiny bits of flesh drip from Shaylyn’s willowy-looking fingertips, shining in reflection of the candle flames surrounding them.  Her cheeks started to burn terribly, but Byrdie wasn’t about to let the Evil Duo know that.  “Yeah... he was fascinating, for what it was worth.  Bet he would’ve actually been nice if you hadn’t picked him up.  Who is he anyway?”

    Storm’s green eyes narrowed into dark slits, lips forming a frown.  “You are a nosy little imp, aren’t you Fae?  Zelgadis is none of your concern.  However... what should concern you are you friends...”  He flapped his great wings once, forcing a strong wind in the Trickster’s face and bowling her head over heels to the back of the cage.  She landed hard on her shoulder—she bit her already aching cheek to mask the agony.  “...And the book.”

Castellum deGens

    The two women hailed a taxi and climbed into the back. "Where to?" the driver asked.

    "Take us into the city," Pen said.

    The taxi continued into the city limits as the two women sat in the back seat of the cab.  They passed many buildings as they approached the heart, all the while feeling the power source grow stronger and stronger.

    Merlyn pushed a stray lock of blond hair behind her ear.  Her blue eyes widened at the wonders of the city around them.  It had not been often that she had left her home in Camelot.  Glancing over at her one time pupil, she saw that Pendragoness had matured beyond her wildest dreams.  "I wonder what is causing this magic source?" she questioned Pen.  "I have never felt anything like it before.  Have you?"

    Pen inhaled sharply before replying. "I don't know.  I think so... but I can't seem to remember," she said sadly.

    Merlyn nodded in understanding. "It will come back to you in time.  You are still young after all," she teased.

    Pen raised her eyebrow at her teacher and laughed. "I suppose you're right.  You know, as I think about it, the feeling is getting stronger..." Pen mused, cupping her chin in her hand.

    Merlyn leaned forward and tapped the driver on his shoulder. "Can you take us anyplace interesting, good sir?"

    The driver glanced at the pair as he turned left into downtown.  "Well, there are a number of clubs and shopping districts here in the downtown area..."

    Pen tuned out his chatter, looking out the window.  Then she gasped.  "Merlyn! It's over there!" she whispered, pointing.

    The mad mage turned and glanced over to where Pen was looking.  Over the tops of some trees they saw an odd looking roof in the distance.  The power source seemed to be radiating from the place.

    Merlyn looked back at Pen.  "Do you think we should check it out?

    Pen nodded.  "It would not hurt."

    Merlyn turned back to their driver.  "Please take us over in that direction, sir.  We need to check it out."

    As soon as the cab was winding up the long driveway to an old mansion, Pen was sure they'd hit their mark.  The house was crawling with energy, and most of it was what she'd been trying to locate.

    "Drop us off here," Merlyn said.  Pen glanced at her, and could see her teacher shared her excitement.  This was it.

    "Are you sure?  They say this place is haunted!  I'm sure I could take you to a lovely hotel..." the driver began.

    Pen cut him off.  "No, this will do.  Friends are expecting us."  As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew how right they were. Merlyn raised her eyebrow at the surprised mage.

    Two minutes later, the two women were standing in front of the mansion's front doors, bags at their feet and watching the cab driver speed away with a large tip.

Skydancer's Cavern

    Skydancer reclined against the rock uneasily.  Some time had passed and there didn't seem to be any sign of anyone having found them.  While the gargess knew with the coming of the dawn her injuries would heal, her main concern was for Lisette.  From the looks of the rock pile half burying her, the mass was unstable at best.  One blast from either fire or lightning, depending on who wanted to do the honors, could send the whole cavern crashing down on their very heads.

    "If only there was some way to support what's left of the roof...." Skydancer breathed, pushing some wisps of tangled hair away from her face with her right talon.

    "I'm beginning to wonder if that even matters anymore," Blake sighed wearily, wiping the fatigue from his eyes as he watched Lisette sleep quietly, her small, pained gasps of breath fanning her halo of golden hair that surrounded her face, making it seem even more pale in contrast.  "If we don't get her out from under there soon and to a hospital even quicker.." he trailed off, shaking his head sadly as he looked up to meet the eyes of the other two.  "Well, I think that you get the picture."

    "Only too well," the Skydancer answered in agreement, her green eyes watching the human closely.  She did not have a lot of experience with them, but this male seemed to have a genuine affection for her friend.  "You care for her deeply, don't you?" the gargess asked.

    Surprised, Blake slowly turned the creature's question over and over again in his mind.  Did he care deeply for her?  Sighing, he looked down, ensuring that the girl in question was still asleep, before meeting the tan one's eyes once again.  "Deeply?  I don't know," he answered honestly.  "I mean.. we only met this morning... yesterday morning," he corrected, knowing instinctively that midnight had come and gone long ago.  Closing his eyes, Blake ignored the pounding of his heart and the pain that radiated from his battered body.  "Then again," he continued, looking down at the peace that radiated from Lisette's silent countenance, "there's just something about her... something special," he murmured, realizing that it was that specialness that he sensed from her that caused him to seize onto her back in the park.. and what got him in this mess in the first place.  But oddly enough, he wouldn't change a thing, even if he could.  He may die there in the cold cavern tonight, but he still wouldn't have done anything different had he known.  "I just don't want anything to happen to her."

    Fire sat silently, carefully avoiding being involved in this particular conversation.  Her eyes flicked briefly to Blake's concerned features, and then noticed that the firelight she had created above him had dwindled down to almost nothing.  "Damn," she swore softly realizing that her own powers had waned to nearly nothing.  Scooting forward she rested the back of her talon against Lisette's face and grimaced when she realized that the human's skin was beginning to grow cold and clammy.  Shock was setting in, her pulse was thready, and her labored breathing had settled in a dangerous pattern.

    "She has less time than you think," Fire stated flatly as she turned to look at the other two.  "Listen... I've been studying these fissures for hours now.  The main cavern back there seems to be relatively stable, this tunnel seems to be the weakest point.  If I can use some of the timber I saw back in your cavern to brace up the ceiling along here," she explained gesturing to where a large crack had formed above their heads, "and if I can brace up the rock that has Lisette trapped.... it might be enough for me to pull her free before this whole tunnel comes down." Firedancer paused a determined look in her eye.  "It's risky, but I think it will work.  At least it will buy us a little more time for her - time that has run out now."

    Sky glanced up at the cracks in the ceiling above their heads.  The whole roof of the cavern looked as if it could come down at any moment.  "I don't like the looks of these rocks," she said slowly, glancing over at the young mage, "but from the looks of Lis, I have to agree with Fire.  I think our best bet would be to move into the cavern anyhow."

    The tan gargess pushed herself away from the wall so that she was sitting on her own.  "Wooooo..." Sky muttered, closing her eyes briefly against the brief dizziness that washed over her.  "Okay, Fire why don't you use whatever you need from the cavern to prop up this ceiling.  Blake.... is that your name?"

    "Yeah, Blake Adams," he nodded, already climbing to his feet.

    "Blake, why don't you help her?" Skydancer continued.  "When you're ready to pull her out, I'll stand ready to blast any large rocks that come falling down and that the supports won't hold.  Maybe that'll buy us enough time to get her free."

    Fire stood and with a brief nod to Blake, headed back towards the ruins of Sky's main cavern.  Once the two stood within the massive chamber, Fire looked around the room, checking the stability of the ceiling.  Satisfied that this would definitely be a much safer and more comfortable place to rest, Fire looked over at the young man.  She was about to have him grab an armful of the books that were still left when she noticed how slowly he moved, as if in pain.  "Need any help?"

    Tearing his eyes away from the dusty mess, Blake looked up at the creature in confusion.. until he saw her eyes trailing his slow movement.  "Nah, it's nothing," he quickly commented, turning back to the mess as he began kicking up clouds of dust, searching for something that would work as supports, all the while ignoring the creature's concern.  In his mind, there were more important things to worry about -- like getting Lisette out from under the rock that was crushing her as they poked around.

    A wry smile passed over Fire's lips at the male's refusal of her help.  She looked back around the room, a sketchy plan forming in her mind.  A few large beams that had lined the chamber as well as acted as supports into other antechambers had collapsed during the final attack.  All she needed were three salvageable beams... and maybe that section of shelving that remained intact.  "Blake, grab some of those books.  We can use those to build a support for the rock that has Lis pinned, and I'll drag back these beams to support the roof above her."

    As the crimson gargess and Blake moved to the back of the cave, Skydancer rolled over onto all fours, careful to keep her left arm close to her side.   Pushing herself up, the she-goyle managed to unsteadily climb to her feet.   "I need a vacation..." she muttered, mimicking a line from a favorite movie.   Pushing stray tendrils of hair behind her ears with a shaky right hand, Sky hobbled over to Lisette.  Worry lines formed canyons on her forehead as she saw the pale, gray complexion of her mage friend.  "Hang on, Lis," the gargess whispered, a tear escaping an emerald eye.  She did not want to lose her, the first friend she had made in this strange outer world.  Briefly she reached out her hand and brushed some of the dirt away from the young woman's face.

    But the soft touch only elicited a soft moan from the mage's lips as she stayed tucked away in her dark slumber.  Noting this, Blake bit his lip as he approached the two, his arms filled with an assortment of old, dusty books.  Grimacing slightly, he bent to one knee and deposited the mess on the uneven stone floor beside the creature.  "Fire.. uh, she wants to build a type of support using these," he explained slowly, stumbling over the creature's name as he shrugged at the massive slab.  "But to hold that, they better be some pretty damn good books," he added wryly, a ghost of a smile pulling at his lips.

    Hauling back a large beam on each shoulder, Fire crouched down to relieve herself of her burden as quietly as possible.  The chance to get up and move around seemed to help relieve some of her growing stiffness, but her head still ached considerably.  Though her inherited abilities had been nearly drained for the time being, at least the stimulant was in full swing, leaving the red gargess feeling more up to the task she had just proposed.  Crouching down next to the other two, she picked up one of the books and chuckled as she caught the title.  "War and Peace.... this could hold up half this mountain alone probably."

    Sobering up, Fire outlined what she wanted done to the others before she went to fetch the final pieces of wood and timber to finish up the support for the ceiling.  "Ok, I have to go get a few more pieces of wood to build a temporary frame work for the tunnel right above our heads here.  This is the critical point, If we get get her out from under that slab quick enough, the support will hold long enough for us to haul ass back into the main chamber. While I'm doing that you guys can start shoving the books under that slab around Lisette.  I'm going to have to try and lift that thing just enough so that she can be slid out- which means this whole slide is going to shift and slip when I do that. If you can get enough books stacked at least as high as her body is, when the mass starts to shift it won't settle on her any more, but hopefully on the books."  Firedancer set down the thick book and looked at the two. "Sound like a plan?"

    Sky paid attention to the crimson gargess as she spoke.  If anyone knew what she was doing it was the Firedancer.  Slowly she nodded.  "Sounds like a plan," the tan she-goyle agreed.  Finally, they were doing something! Careful to keep her left arm close to her side,  Sky picked up a few books with her right hand.  "Never thought I'd use these for a prop," she managed to crack with a grin, "let's get started."

    Leaving the other two, Fire headed back into the main chamber and dug out what she needed from under the destroyed furniture and fallen earth.  Pausing for a moment, she wiped the sweat from her brow, wincing as her talons brushed across the large lump that had formed on her forehead.  Taking the moment to herself, Fire closed her eyes and as she had been taught only a few months ago, began a deep breathing exercise while she tried to center her tired mind and body.  After a couple of minutes, she felt the calming effects of the exercise wash through her and opened her eyes, pleased to see that even under duress, the lesson still worked.  Her father-in-law would no doubt be pleased that she had progressed far enough to accomplish such a task.  Heaving the final beam onto her left shoulder, Fire pick up the section of shelving and carried her load back to where the others were busy shoving books around Lisette.

    "Hey, do you need any help--" Blake began as the red gargoyle dropped her heavy burden onto the cavern floor beside them.  Shrugging his shoulders, he returned to his task of stacking books beside the massive slab of rock, readying them to be shoved under as supports.  To be honest, the strength of the creatures was really beginning to hit him.  The red gargoyle was able to carry weight that most grown men would struggle under.. when there were two of them working together.  All he knew was that Lisette had some serious explaining to do... if they ever got out of this alive.

    Shaking away his thoughts, Blake lifted his head, his worried eyes locking with the other two.  "We're set."

    "Ok," Fire breathed, eyeing the tunnel walls once more.  As she began to talk, her talons moved in quick gestures, showing the two how the support structure would work.  "These beams are about the same width as this tunnel.  I'm going to jam them up as close to the ceiling as I can get, hopefully I've got enough left in me to mold the rock just a bit so they'll stay in place a little better.  So the beams will go from this side to that above us, and we'll place the shelves flush against the ceiling crossways -- they will help keep too much debris from falling on us as we go.  You two will just need to hold the shelves up against the ceiling until I can get the first beam in place."  Reaching down the Firedancer lifted up the first beam and looked at the other two. "Ready?"

    Giving the last stack of books she had in her hand a final shove, Skydancer grimaced at the ache in her arm.  There's gotta be a better way of doing this one-handed, she thought to herself.  Pushing up off the floor, the tan gargess shakily climbed to her feet.  Slowly, she nodded.  "I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Sky cracked with a wry grin.

    Going over to the pile of lumber that Fire had brought in, Skydancer picked up one of the bookshelves that had graced her library.  With her uninjured hand, she heaved the heavy piece up so that it stood on end and began sliding it towards the one side that it would support.  "Blake, why don't you do the other side?" Sky suggested, nodding towards the remaining board.  "I've got this one."

    Nodding quickly, Blake bent down and heaved the remaining bookshelf onto its side, grunting under the weight.  Yep, his strength definitely didn't even compare to that of the creatures, he realized as beads of sweat dotted his forehead.  Groaning, he quickly shoved his back against the heavy wood, barely holding it back against the cavern wall.  "Ready," he gasped, nodding at Fire as he prayed that she would do what she was going to do, and fast.  He couldn't hold the wood for long.

    Fire watched them struggle with their burdens, one weak while the other unable to use her arm, and lowered the beam.  "Okay, okay relax for a minute guys."  The sound of boards collapsing onto the rock made the pounding in Fire's skull pick up a notch and she winced.  "Here, lay the shelves across the beam here and center them.  I'll lift the whole thing up, you guys just need to keep them balanced until I can get this thing shoved up against the ceiling.  Remember we're trying to create a platform of sorts above our heads so we can work without too much landing on our heads.  So keep the shelves as close together as you can over the center of the beam.  That seem a little more manageable for you two?"

    Nodding, Blake pictured a ladder, but with the rungs all slid together in the middle, and finally understood what the creature was getting at.  Turning, he nodded at the other gargoyle before meeting Firedancer's eyes.  "Ready when you are."

    A flash of understanding crossed Sky's green eyes as she suddenly realized what the crimson gargess was doing.  "Oh, I see," she stated, picking up the board again and dragging it across the beam where Fire had indicated.   Holding it in place, she nodded towards the human as he began to do the same.  "You want us to just hold these steady while you heft this whole thing up, right?" Sky asked the Firedancer.

    "Yeah.  Listen, I might have to jostle this around a bit as I try to fit it up there, but I'll do this as quick as I can. Once this beam is in place you guys can let go.  I'll put the other two beams up on either side of this one to support the shelves and the ceiling better.  Okay, we lift on three.... one, two, three."

    Fire heaved up the beam and was immediately glad she had taken that stim pill earlier.  Her muscles protested under the weight as she worked one end up against the wall and then began to shove the other end up length-wise across the tunnel.  Their combined grunts and gasps filled the confines of the tunnel as the crimson gargoyle tried to force the beam up higher.  Unfortunately, it was a bit long and wouldn't slide all the way up.  Fire reached out and pointed a talon, palm up, at the rock and bent her head in concentration as the others struggled to keep the boards balanced in place and she herself struggled to keep the whole thing up with one arm.

    "Come on, damn you," Fire swore angrily as she drew on the last of her reserves as the rock she was focusing on finally began to melt.  The whole beam slid up with a jerk, and the shelves smacked the ceiling, nearly catching fingers and talons in the process.  The others let go, and Fire molded the rock around the end of the beam.  Her arm dropped, the rock cooled and hardened back into its original form instantly while the beam held fast.  Panting, Fire let go after giving the beam a good tug, a satisfied smiled turning her lips up a bit.  "Well... that wasn't so bad... was it?" she asked the other two breathlessly as they too sucked in air hungrily.

    Breathing heavily from the pain that was beginning to pound in her head again from the exertion she had forced on her weathered body, Sky leaned against the rock wall briefly while giving Fire a flustered look.  "Well, if that isn't the understatement of the year, Lady Flame, I don't know what is!" the tan gargess exclaimed with a grin.  Briefly she pushed several stray tendrils of hair behind her ear, while she clutched her left arm to her side.  "Nice job, though," the she-goyle complimented.  Her respect for the crimson gargess was growing by inches on this night.

    Sighing, Blake lifted his arm and brushed a weary hand against his sweaty brow.  The pain that flared from his tired muscles reminded him once again that his stores of energy had been used up hours ago.  Yeah, he may have been able to pull all nighters back in college, but that was years ago and now the strain of being up all day, all night, and all of the turmoil involved was beginning to drain on him.  While the adrenaline managed to keep him going in spurts, when it was all used up he really felt it.  But then, as always, his eyes shifted back to Lisette who continued to suffer in quiet misery, lost in a troubled sleep.  "Let's finish this," he added quietly, moving to her side as he glanced at her two friends.

    Taking in Sky and Blake's pained and exhausted expressions, Fire didn't even bother to ask for their help as she hefted the second beam.  Thankfully, the other two beams went up into place with only a bit of struggling.  The hardest part was trying to reform the rock around the edges to provide more stability.  By the time it was all done and over with, Fire was kneeling on the ground, shaking as sweat poured down her brow and stung her eyes.  The other two stood quietly off to the side, waiting for her to finish so they could finally attempt to pull Lisette out.  Fire eyed the rock, trying to judge the weight.  Damn, that's going to be heavy.  And with the other two only able to use one arm each that will be just enough for them to pull her out while I lift.

    "When I lift... you guys are going to have to pull with all your strength.  If she screams... keep pulling 'cause we're only gonna get... one shot at this.  Don't look back... no matter what... just keep going until you three get into the main cavern."  Fire paused and looked up into their eyes, her own hardening just a bit.  "I mean that -- don't worry about me, just go as fast as you can until your safe.  I've been trained not to worry about this stuff -- but I have to know that you two will not hesitate because that can kill us all.  Are you guys able do just as I said?"

    Skydancer turned her green eyes to Fire's red ones.  She knew if anyone could pull this off it was the red gargess.  As much as she hated to admit it, Fire was right.  "Agreed," Sky admitted reluctantly, "but let me help you first."  Pushing herself away from the wall she was leaning against, the tan gargess made her way over to the boulders that covered Lisette.  Kneeling down, Sky felt the mage's cheek.  It was cool to the touch.  "We'd better make this fast..." Sky said in a concerned whisper.

    Holding out her uninjured hand, the tan she-goyle pointed it at a huge boulder that sat atop the one that was directly on the young woman, unobstructed by any other.  Summoning up some of her waning energy, Sky said the one word that brought forth her power.  "Lightning!" she exclaimed as a short blast of white energy came sailing out and hit the rock she was aiming at.  With a crackling sound, the piece of granite divided in two and fell harmlessly to the ground.  Sky glanced up at the human and gargoyle.  "I'd do the others, too, but the rest of the slide is unstable.  At least with that one out of the way, however, maybe we can get her from under there easier."  Nodding to Blake, the gargess nodded to Lisette's other side.  "Shall we begin?"

    "Let's do it," Blake agreed a little shakily, eyeing what remained of the large boulder that was sitting atop the pile just a few short minutes ago.  These creatures definitely had power, that was for certain.  Shaking his head, Blake got moving as he quickly moved beside the gargess and knelt down on the dusty stone floor.  Reaching out, he gently closed his hands around the soft material of her long jacket down under the base of her middle back -- the lowest he could go before encountering the massive rock pile.  Nodding his head, he indicated the available space of cloth by her shoulders.  "Wanna grab there and then when Fire's ready we pull?" he asked the gargess.

    Reaching out, Sky grasped the cloth firmly in her right hand.  "I don't know how much help I'm going to be, but hopefully together we can slide her out."  The tan gargess glanced up at the Firedancer then, nodding a bit to indicate their readiness.  "Just tell us when, Fire," Sky said.

    Fire carefully placed her taloned feet on either side of the mage, her back to the slide.  Looking down the tunnel to where it opened up into the main cavern, she firmly fixed her goal in mind before closing her eyes and relaxing her body.  Breathing deeply, she called upon the very core of her strength and willpower.  Crouching slightly, she felt for the edges of the rock that had Lisette pinned and sunk her talons into it.  "Here goes nothing," Fire mumbled as she heaved up on the rock.

Janua Caeli

    Merlyn eyed the towering doors that stood in front of them.  She could feel a heartbeat radiating from beyond it.  The power source was here.  She could feel it.

    "Do you think we should ring the bell?" the blond haired mage asked her former student as she glanced at her in the moonlight.  "I don't know if we should barge in."

    Pendragoness nodded.  "I agree," she said, reaching a finger up to ring the electronic buzzer.  "What do we have to lose?"

    Pen rang the buzzer.  She and Merlyn could hear the resounding "ding dong" echo through out the foyer.  Teacher and student held their breaths.  Waiting for what seemed an eternity and not hearing any footsteps coming to answer the door, the two exhaled noisily.

    The two mages glanced at each other, wondering what to do next being there was no response.

    "Think we should try the door handle?" Merlyn asked.

    Pen shrugged.  "What do we have to lose?"

    Hesitantly, Merlyn reached out and wiggled the door handle.  Creaking rather loudly the door slowly opened up.  Glancing inside, Merlyn saw a darkened staircase before her and a high vaulted ceiling of a foyer.  Doors to rooms opened up on either side of it.  "Come on," she whispered, gesturing for Pen to follow her.

    "I don't know if we should be sneaking in like this," Pen muttered as she and Merlyn took a few tentative steps further into the foyer.  The twin staircases loomed on either side of the two mages, commanding entrance.

    Merlyn dropped her bag to the floor and Pen did likewise.  "Where do we begin?" Pen asked her teacher.

    Suddenly the two heard a noise resound and vibrate from deep inside the house.  Footsteps?  Of someone who lived there?  Oh god, it was coming towards the foyer!  Glancing at Merlyn, Pen could see she had heard it too.  The two held their breaths...

    With a loud shriek a shadow darted in front of the two.  Two gold eyes glared at them in the darkness, illuminated only by the moonlight.

    Tuffy glared at the two mages and growled, not recognizing the two trespassers.   He swished his long tail rapidly back and forth and hissed at the two, not enough to be terrifying, but enough to attract the attention of another resident of the large mansion.  With the exception of the cat, the mansion had suddenly become silent.

    The two mages jumped back in surprise, then Pen laughed.  "Aww, here kitty," she giggled.

    Tuffy watched the two with mild interest, gold eyes seeming to shine on their own.  It was then a separate, more loud growl made its way through the darkness.  "You are trespassing.  Leave now."

    Desperately looking around her, Merlyn cast her blue eyes into the darkness.  "Oh my gosh!!" she screeched, looking over towards Pendragoness.  Raising a hand the mage cast an eerie iridescent light around them.  "We mean no harm!" she called.  "No harm...."

    Tuffy, seeing his chance to find more interesting happenings to cast his attention upon, darted off and away from the light and into the darkness of the mansion.

    After sparing a quick glance to the cat, Shadow then turned her attention to the two before her.  "Who are you?  Why are you here?"  Through outward appearances, Shadow watched the two with slight annoyance playing across her features.  However, inside, she was glad for the interruption and for something to do.

    The mad mage squinted in the direction the voice had come, trying to make out who they were talking to.  The cat had scampered away somewhere in the darkness, but this unseen voice might be a new menace.  Swiftly she held her hand up higher, casting her pale light in the foyer.  Briefly she could see the outline of what appeared to be a gargoyle in front of them.  "We're mages -- Pendragoness and Merlyn... we sensed a power source here and came looking for it," Merlyn calmly explained, glancing briefly at Pen for her agreement.  "And you are...??"

    Shadow stood calmly now, while she debated to answer the two.  The mansion grew silent, but only for a moment, "Shadow."

    Pen glanced about nervously.  Once the gargoyle had spoken her name, the house seemed to accompany her.  This place was more than it seemed... and it seemed to reach out and whisper to Pen.  She wondered if Merlyn heard it too.  "We mean no harm or intrusion... Shadow," she called out.

    Shadow watched the two, her dark eyes still laced with suspicion, "That is for me to decide.  Why exactly are you two here?  Do you always sneak into other's homes like this?"

    Pen shifted her weight from one foot to the other and had the decency to look embarrassed.  "Well, uh, not really... we're not criminals or anything like that!" she offered, scratching the back of her neck.  "Um, and hey, Merlyn, a little help," she whispered to her mentor.  "I feel like a loon!"  Speaking louder to the gargoyle-shaped Shadow, Pen asked, "Why don't you come closer?  Are you really a gargoyle?"

    Merlyn the mage squinted in the moonlit foyer at the glowing eyes that were staring at them.  "Yes..." she said, glancing at her former pupil while she raised an eyebrow.  "Are you a gargoyle?  It's been a long time since we've come across one."  Taking a step into a beam of light so that she was seen more clearly, the mage held up her hands.  "We truly mean no harm.  We were attracted to this place by an unknown power source that beckoned us."

    Shadow debated the request, silent a moment before giving in and stepping forward into the light.  She blinked her dark eyes for a moment as she stepped into the light.  After deciding that the two were of no threat, she moved her long tan wings cape-like upon her shoulders.  "As you can see, I am a gargoyle..."

    The young mage and her pupil sucked in deep breaths.  Before them stood a very dark gargoyle.  Barely able to see her in the moonlight, Merlyn slowly extended a hand.  "I am very pleased to meet you," the mage said quietly.  "Please pardon our intrusion but we are seeking the source of the great power... it has become our mission."

    Pen nodded sagely as her mentor restated their reason for trespassing.  It looked as if the she-gargoyle would pose no threat now that she knew they were not thieves.  "I hope," she thought, digging her hands into her pockets while maintaining a casual look.  Suddenly, Pen could feel an aura pulsating wildly from deeper inside the mansion.  It matched up perfectly with the energy source she and Merlyn were seeking.  And it commanded to be noticed!  "Merlyn, it's very strong and it's somewhere in here," she whispered to her teacher.

    The mad mage nodded to her pupil.  "Yes it is.  It seems to be coming from above us, beckoning."  Turning to the darkened gargoyle before them, Merlyn hesitated for a moment.  Would this member of the second race reveal what the power source was?  "Uh.. Shadow?  We sense a very strong life force radiating from this house.  It is what drew us to it.  Do you know what it is?"

    Shadow watched the two before her with slight interest though her mind was elsewhere.  It was not normal for her companions to leave and be gone for so long.  Shadow tried to brush it all off as nothing, but a part of her told her that something was wrong.  Shaking her head, she quickly snapped back into attention as she heard her name being spoken.  Her dark eyes drifted to the one in front of her that called herself Merlyn.  "What?  Life force... no."  She tossed the two a curious glance and decided that it would be best that she made no mention of the egg that she was to be watching that evening.  No matter how boring egg-sitting was...

    Pen inwardly frowned a little.  The gargoyle wasn't telling them the truth, she knew it.  One look at Merlyn and Pen knew she realized this as well.  Pen was not going to be an intruder and ask again, so quiet she remained. When she wanted to tell them, she would.

    Merlyn decided to try another tactic when she realized the gargoyle wasn't going to reveal what the power source was.  Gesturing towards the house in general, the mage looked up at the vastness of the place.  "What is the name of your home?" the mad mage asked.

    Shadow nervously twitched her tail, the feeling that something was wrong with her friends bothering her even more as the night progressed.  She focused her attention once more back towards the two before her.  "Janua Caeli."

    "Janua Caeli... the gates to Heaven?" Pen inquired.  Then she grinned.  "Fitting name.  I like it."

    The mad mage nodded her agreement with her former pupil.  The foreign sounding name did fit the elegant mansion and the one who occupied it.  "Yes, an apt name to be sure," Merlyn said, smiling at the dark gargess in front of them.

    Suddenly there was a noise above them.  Startled out of their conversation, the three looked up.  Up on a balcony above their heads was a white apparition, floating a bit above the banister.  Gasping, Merlyn shook her head in wonderment, not quite believing what she was seeing.  "What... what is that?!" she exclaimed.

    Pen gasped and jumped back a little, holding her bag up in front of her.  "A g-ghost?"

    The mad mage stared at the wavery wisp of smoke above them.  "I think so," she whispered.

    Then an echoing voice could be heard throughout the foyer.  It was almost a whisper, perhaps only heard in their minds.  "Danger... danger...," it gasped.  "The mountain... the mountain..."  And then it was gone.

    "The mountain?" Merlyn asked, turning towards the dark gargoyle beside her and her pupil.  "What mountain?"

Sky's Cavern

    Dirt and debris immediately began to rain down upon them.  Thankfully, the beams caught most of it, but they to began to groan in protest as the walls around them started shifting.  Fire grunted, and then let loose a roar, as her body pushed past the pain, and slowly began to lift the great weight that was pinning their friend.  The muscles in her legs, arms and neck stood out like braided cords of rope as she lifted something far heavier than she had ever attempted in her life.  "PULL!!" she shouted at the other two, desperately trying to lift the rock up higher, while her body screamed protests at her.

    Instantly, a scream of agony ripped from the throat of the injured mage as she was torn from her troubled sleep.  Grinding his teeth against the sound, Blake wrapped his hands around the soft material of Lisette's long jacket and pulled quickly, shuffling back awkwardly along the cluttered stone floor, the Skydancer moving in tandem beside him as Lisette was slid out from beneath the pile of stone, the mass of rock shifting and pushing forward against Fire's back.  Grunting, she held the rock just a few more as Blake skittered over loose stone and fell onto his backside, the entire tunnel began to shake, rock falling free from the walls and ceiling and clattering against the stone floor.  "Come on!" he yelled, nodding at the tan gargess beside him as he scrambled to his feet, ignoring his aching muscles as he reached down and scooped Lisette into his arms, ignoring her cries of pain as he turned and bolted down the tunnel, rock crashing down around his every step.

    Grunting, Fire finally let go of the load behind her and the earth slid forward, knocking her to the ground right in front of the book Blake had found earlier.  There was a large crack from overhead and the gargoyle grabbed the book as she rolled out of the way.  The first of the beams gave way and speared the floor, right where her hand had been.  With every muscle cramping, Fire pushed herself to her feet and began to limp down the tunnel as fast as she could, her mind still fixed on reaching the main chamber.

    Skydancer, meanwhile, roared as the falling debris rained down around them, hitting her injured arm as she followed Blake towards the remains of the cavern.  Eyes flashing a familiar white glow, she kept moving, knowing that if they stopped it could mean certain death.  Suddenly there was a loud boom as Blake entered the cavern room first, carrying the mage.  Folding her wings around her, Sky put out an extra burst of speed and made a dive for the doorway, landing just inside it on her uninjured arm as a huge part of the ceiling came crashing down.  Dust and rock debris flew everywhere as the tunnel gave way behind her completely.

    Choking a bit on the dust, the she-goyle glanced back through the doorway towards the rockslide.  "Fire!!" she screeched, trying to see the red gargess through the haze.

    Coughing, Fire heard Sky's scream from the other side.  With a loud crack, the remaining two beams had broken and tons of earth and rock had spilled to the floor.  Just ten more feet, she had thought -- and then the firewielder's thoughts had been interrupted as a huge boulder came down in front of her.  The concussion had knocked her to the floor once more and then everything had gone silent.  The stunned gargess wheezed in a few dust filled gasps of air, coughed and then stood up, groaning, her body stiffening badly from the abuse it had taken throughout the night and glared at the rock that blocked her path.  And then finally lost her temper as a long string of oaths in a few different languages spilled from her mouth as she kicked the object that had stopped her just a few feet short of her goal.

    On the other side, Skydancer strained to hear anything coming from the area where Firedancer was entrapped as the earth settled around them.  The rumbling of the mountain continued for several agonizing moments until it finally settled on shaky ground.  Glancing back at Blake, she nodded back towards a corner of what had been her library.  She could tell that the young man was growing weary underneath the burden of the injured mage, who had passed out once more -- most likely from the pain.  "You should find a blanket or two in that back corner.  I never had much use for them and kept them there.  They're probably dusty, but maybe you can warm her a bit."

    Turning back to the collapsed wall, Sky suddenly heard what sounded like a string of oaths.  Then came the faint sounds of rocks being moved.  "FIRE?!" the tan gargess yelled loudly, her green eyes searching for any sign of the red gargess.

Janua Caeli

    Shadow quickly glanced about the room, she knew of the ghost.  She had heard Lisette mention it to her once before.  Shadow's dark eyes quickly widened in realization. "The Mountain!  I knew something was wrong..." she said, really only to herself. 

    Pen looked in confusion at her mentor.  "So what exactly is wrong?" she asked.  Pen paused and when Shadow didn't say much else, added, "What's at this Mountain?  And where is it?"

    Merlyn nodded her agreement with Pen.  "If there's trouble, we should help!"  Glancing at the dark gargoyle, the mage smiled her friendship.  "I know we're strangers, but Pen and I would like to be of service.  What'd the ghost mean?"

    Shadow threw a quick glance at the one who called herself Merlyn.  Inside she smiled; they really had no idea what they were getting into.  "My friends, the other inhabitants of this mansion, were up at a mountain near here."  After these few words, Shadow seemed to vanish into the darkness.  Seconds later, she stood in the exact spot as she was before, this time with what appeared to be a backpack strapped to her.  She offered no explanation for her actions and acted as if she was about to leave.

    "So, do you think this means they're in trouble?" Pen asked. "Maybe we should go help them!"

     Merlyn nodded her agreement.  "Definitely!" she shouted as she turned to go back out the door of which they had come.  With the other two quick on her heels, a green glow surrounded Merlyn as she took to the night sky.  "Shadow which direction are they in?" Mad mage shouted above the high winds of the sky, trying to determine in which direction she should go.

    Moving to all fours, Shadow quickly ran to a tree nearby and climbed a few feet with ease before spreading her long wings and diving off into the night sky.  Swiftly and expertly she maneuvered herself near the one who called herself Merlyn, "It's the mountain!  North!"   

Within Sky's Cavern

    All rational thought had fled the trapped gargoyle's mind, though, as she gave into her rage and frustration.  The evening had started off pleasantly enough, and she had been looking forward to some quiet time to herself.  Then they got their collective asses kicked once again and now she was trapped for the second time that night, Byrdie was in the hands of Storm and Shaylyn, her head ached something fierce, and her whole body was beginning to hurt like hell.  All I want is to get out of this damn tunnel and then help get the others out from this damn mountain she thought angrily as her talons blindly tore at the dirt and rocks that surrounded the main boulder.  Finally, she pulled away a thin section and dim light from the main cavern broke through.

    "Sky...." Fire panted as she continued to widen the hole.  "I'm sorry... but if I ever come back... to this friggin' mountain," she grunted, "it will be too soon."  With a heave, she pulled down another large chunk of rock, ignoring the fact that blood was now smearing the earth and rock from her bruised and scraped talons.  Finally the hole looked big enough and she began to squeeze her body through it, wincing as she inflicted more damage to herself before she finally popped free and nearly crashed into Sky as she spilled unceremoniously into the main cavern.

    Turning, Blake watched as the gargess squeezed into the main cavern for just a moment before turning his worried eyes back to Lisette.  Her agony-filled scream still echoed in his mind as he gently lay her down on the cold stone floor, her upper half cradled in his arms with a scratchy blanket draped across her dusty lower half.  Grimacing, he noticed the blood that stained her clothes, hidden before beneath the mountain of stone.  "Hey, come on Lisette, wake up," he whispered, his voice raspy with worry as he squeezed her hand gently, frightened by how chilled her skin was as he watched her pale face.

    Skydancer reached out her right talon to Fire as she crawled through the hole.  "Don't worry, Flame-thrower, I have no intentions of coming back here soon myself," the tan gargess said wryly as she pulled Firedancer to her feet.  Turning, Sky slowly limped over to where Blake was trying to awaken Lisette.  Kneeling down, the she-goyle put a hand to the mage's forehead.  It was clammy to the touch.  "She doesn't feel right," Sky observed, a frown creasing her brow.  "Fire maybe you'd better check her out."

    Brushing some of the dust and rock out of her wild hair, Fire limped over to where Blake and Lisette lay and gingerly crouched back down on her knees.  "Blake I need you to move back for a sec' while I do a full check of her," Fire asked the young man politely.  He nodded and slid back a few paces as Fire bent over to examine Lisette fully for the first time that night.

    Starting with the mage's feet, Fire deftly felt along her friend's broken and battered body.  She paused once as the muscles in her back tightened up, causing her to gasp as she tried to relax the overtaxed muscles with quick breathing techniques.  Not now damnit, she swore at herself silently, forcing her mind to try and focus on the task at hand.  Some of her own blood dripped onto Lisette's cheek, and Fire instinctively went to wipe it of when an old sensation swept through her and she froze.  Her determination to help her friend no matter what the cost had all but drained the firewielder of her power.  But deep down, something that had almost been killed stirred within her blood and charged to the surface with what little power it had left as soon as Fire's skin brushed with Lisette's.

    Her mind reeled and seemed to drop and spiral down into the human that lay in front of her.  For one brief moment, Fire's hopes rose.  And then as quickly as the feeling had come, it passed, and she was back in her own mind as a dulled light flashed briefly in her vision before she toppled over backwards with a groan.

    "Whoa, take it easy," Blake quickly instructed as he scampered over the creature's side.  Biting his lip anxiously, he watched the gargess slowly take hold of herself once again, looking every bit as tired and sore as he was sure they all looked.  "Are you ok-" he broke off as a small groan grabbed his attention.  Instantly he was beside Lisette once again as he gently brushed a hand over her battered arm, so afraid of hurting her more that he didn't even dare touch her hand or anything that had been hidden beneath the pile of rock.

    And then, with slow and measured movements the mage's eyes slowly fluttered before opening, revealing a world of agony in her soft blue eyes.  "Ooh, mon Dieu," she gasped, closing her eyes once again as her entire body seemed to scream back at her for the tiniest of movements.

    "Lisette," Blake quickly whispered, not wanting to lose her so quickly after regaining consciousness.  Hesitantly, he reached out and touched her cheek softly, smiling in relief as her head rolled slowly until her eyes locked on his.

    "Now.. now what has happened?" she whispered tiredly, turning slightly to take in the new room, every move causing a wince of pain.

    Fire seemed not to hear Lisette's question or even be aware of the fact that her friend was once again awake as she just sat and stared numbly at her shaking hands.  It's there.... somehow... it's still been there all this time.... she though in shock.  She had not been able to heal, but with her mutated powers stripped to almost nothing right now, what was left of her true heritage had struggled forth from its prison for a brief moment.  As that revelation hit home, Fire's fists clenched tightly as a heart breaking fact came to light.  She had not totally lost her gift back in Sevarius' lab -- maybe if she had been stronger.... Alec's shield had somehow found its way into her hand and she stared down at it blankly, a tear slowly streaking down her face.  The name of her love escaped her lips in an almost inaudible whisper filled with pain and regret.

    Totally oblivious to the pain that Firedancer was going through, Sky's attention was focused on the waking mage.  "Hey there," the gargess smiled down at her friend.  "Just relax.  We managed to get you free of that stupid rock, mostly thanks to Fire."  Sky gingerly sat down next to where Lisette was lying, careful to keep her arm free from any debris she might bump into.   Pushing a few dirty tendrils behind her ear, she gestured beyond all of them to the surrounding walls.  "This is what used to be my library, the main body of my former home."

    "The.. the iron is gone?" Lisette gasped, focusing on her friend's words, her eyes instantly lighting up as she felt her magic surge weakly within her.  The switch that he kept her from it before was now gone.  "I am free," she murmured, a tear of relief dripping down her cheek.  Because of her past, the feeling of being so helpless was one that she dreaded more than death itself.  But now, as weak as she was, she was comforted by the magic that she knew lay within her... magic that could finally get them out of there.  "I can.. I can help now," Lisette murmured tiredly, her eyelids fluttering for the briefest of moments as she struggled to stay focused and keep the pain at bay.

    "No, you can rest," Blake interjected with a frown as he looked at her friends skeptically.

    Skydancer nodded her agreement with the human.  The last thing she wanted to see was her mage friend wearing herself out just as they started getting her back on the right track to recovery.  "Blake's right, Lis," the tan gargess said, easing herself down to sit beside the young woman.  Her head began to swim again.  "The best bet for all of us is just to sit tight until help arrives.  You need to save your strength."

    Shaking her head, Lisette looked at the friends that surrounded her.  Really looked at them.  Skydancer's hair was matted with dried blood and every move that she made caused a grimace of pain to show on her tanned face, cradling her broken arm.  Firedancer, weakened after putting so much energy into keeping them all warm for so long, looked near defeated with her body covered in bruises, cuts, scrapes, and her blood.  Blake shivered beside her, his skin gone pale from the constant exposure to the cold tunnel in this winter night, his jacket in shreds as he moved with care, pain evident from his every sore movement.  These were her friends and they were trapped in a cave with no way out.  They were going to die in here.

    Yes, Sky was right that sooner or later Shadow would realize that something had gone wrong and with luck, she would be able to find them and rescue them... but Lisette, in her clearest moment since the cave-in, realized that she didn't know if they all would truly last that long.  If Skydancer and Fire made it until sunrise, they stood a chance, but Blake's hopes were slim without the healing stone slumber that came with dawn -- and she didn't know a lot about caves, but she had the fear that sooner or later their air would run out.  Her friends' chances at survival weren't remarkable, and by the look of unspoken sorrow in their eyes, and by the sad look of knowledge in Fire's, Lisette knew that she was in bad shape.  She was dying and there was nothing that any of them could do about it... except for herself.

    "Forgive me.. mes amis," Lisette whispered, surprising them all with her words as her eyes slid shut, ignoring them as she struggled to concentrate on her magic.  Her face screwing tight in concentration, she bit her lip until she broke skin, a small trail of blood dripping down as she gathered the forces around them all, a weak field of green beginning to build.  She focused everything, everything that she had left deep down inside her and focused on using her magic to get them out -- to save them all.

Astral Realm, Storm and Shaylyn’s Manor: Foyer

    It was hard biting back the scream that was building in the back of her throat.  She was starting to taste the metallic flavor of blood on her tongue and teeth from biting down so hard on her cheek.  Blood... she couldn't remember the last time an enemy -- a formidable enough opponent -- made her actually bleed.  Ha, the thought of... of someone shedding her blood over a stupid a mistake as this was unheard of and unacceptable.

    Oh well... it wasn't as if she was on Oberon's 'Good Kid' list.

    Her vision was starting to get a little hazy -- this was not the time to start feeling punch drunk.  Slowly, and none to surely, Byrdie cast her gaze up at the two evil ones -- they looked impatient.  What was the question again?  She felt sick... the Fae righted herself somewhat, now lying on her side and propping herself up on her elbows, then spat -- dark spots of blood appeared on the bottom of the cage and Shaylyn grinned a self-righteous little smile.  Flicking her tongue against her teeth once, Byrdie breathed out through her mouth: "... What book?"

    Storm's slitted eyes widened a bit, but Shaylyn was livid by the Fae's ignorance.  She quickly stepped over to the other side of the cage and pulled Byrdie's head back roughly by her hair and was delighted in her strained efforts to keep her screams to herself.  There was a stinging sensation pricking at Byrdie's eyes, and she could have sworn she heard a crack in her ears... "Ergh...!"

    "Do not feign ignorance in my presence, you impudent child!" Shaylyn hissed through her teeth like a viper as she tugged at Byrdie's locks again.  "I am not one to be taken for a fool!"

    "Eh... hah..."  The shackled Trickster swallowed and could barely shake her head: "I refuse to swear to you... but... I know nothing about a... any damned book..."  She stuck out her tongue in Storm's direction -- she guessed she still had a little energy left for true impudence.  "Saying so... git yer... bitch wife off my hair...!"

    No no, Byrdie, that was not a good thing to say.

    "You... you little URCHIN!  Damn you!"  Leaving no time for either argument or intervention from Byrdie or her husband, Shaylyn roared at the weak Fae and arranged her hands in the form of a triangle, a dark blue-purplish energy swirling and gathering around her slender finger s. "You will not speak of me that way!"  

    Byrdie squeaked, trying to scoot away as the black-eyed demon pushed the energy at her, the miasma gathered in the form of a huge ball.   She tried not to scream, an endeavor that didn't last for too long, as her body jumped off of the floor of the cage from the shock, everything burning and ringing like hell.

    It felt like forever had come, passed, and left Byrdie for dead by the time it was over.  She felt like she was dying, no matter how... impossible... that may have seemed to her.  Now rolled onto her side, she hoped to herself that Fae were as tough as she thought.  But then... Shaylyn and Storm were powerful and probably not of the Third Race... could they kill her?  That was the million silver piece question...

    The two million silver question was... where were her friends?

    It all went black again.

    Storm shook his head, his green eyes showing his wife less than approval.  "You know that was quite unnecessary."

    The violet-skinned enchantress was seething, her teeth bared and her dark eyes narrowed and filled with not-so-hidden fury.  "She is a fool!  I hate her!  Hate her, I say!  She should be punished!"

    "Yes... she is a foolish pixie, so let her be."  The shadowy Dom Juan frowned -- the Faerie really was a mess to behold, and he chose not to look at ugly things unless it was absolutely necessary.  There was a ring that sounded in the direction of the dark hall that led to the dungeons and light footsteps that followed -- steady and quick.  Soon enough, the hooded Zelgadis stood before the cage, away from the still enraged Shaylyn, with his hand lightly fingering his ruby hilted sword.

    "Yes, Storm-sama?"

    "Eh... yes, take her away for now, Zelgadis," he answered dryly, arching his wings once and turning on his heel. "At this rate, she will die anyway, so we have no use for her."

    "Ryoukai."

    "Beloved," Shaylyn started, perhaps a bit of apology or craftiness (they sounded the same) in her voice.  "Perhaps we do have a use.  If those stupid mortals have the book already, if would be an even trade... don't you think?"

    Storm eyed his grinning wife with a hint of suspicion.  "A book such as that for a dead Faerie Trickster?  Not even humans are that idiotic."

    She looked a bit impatient.  "They don't know that, do they?  An 'even' trade."  Shaylyn listened to Byrdie groan softly as she was lifted back onto their guard's shoulder, more than satisfied for the moment.  "... I believe they are just that devoted.  Besides... what would they need with a book they don't understand?"

    The demonic man's lips slowly formed a fiendish smile and there was a low chuckle deep in his throat.  With a gentle hand he brought his wife's chin up and kissed her cheek.  "You think the thoughts of a beautiful demon..." he whispered, voice silky in her ear.  "A beautiful demon..."

Within Sky's Cavern

    "Hey, what's going on?" Blake asked quickly, panic rising within him as the air began to shimmer with a weak green light.  Groaning, Lisette quickly shook her head before him, her hands clasping weakly on the ground beside her as tears of frustration seeped out beneath her dark lashes -- her movements growing slower and weaker by the second.  "What's she doing?!" he cried out to the others, wanting nothing more than to reach out and shake the young woman until she stopped.  "Make her stop!!"

    Blake's cry snapped Fire out of her grief-induced stupor as she blinked a couple of times, her tired mind trying to take stock of what was happening.  "No, no, no, no, no," Fire whispered harshly as she realized that Lisette was trying to call upon the last of her magic.  Fire had only had a brief glimpse into Lisette's body and soul, and she knew something like that would surely kill the mage at this point.  Alec's shield dropped from her hand unnoticed as she sprang forward and grabbed Lisette's shoulders.

    "Damnit Lis!  Don't do this!" Fire shouted at her, shaking the mage as roughly as she dared trying to break her concentration.  "We did not pull you out from under all that rock to have you die on us now, so STOP IT!"  The last statement was followed by a sharp slap across Lisette's cheek.  Three thin lines were added to her numerous other injuries, but Fire feared that the mage was too far into her spell to be deterred by even further physical punishment.

    But even as the others raged around her, Lisette's unshakable concentration slowly used her remaining strength to build a wavering circle of magic around them.  Grimacing, she focused on the image of the clear night that she knew lay outside of their tomb.  And then, as the group slowly began to disappear from the cave, Lisette felt her heart clutch painfully in her chest, causing a breath of pain to explode from her lips.  Her weakened and battered body was rebelling against her request, and even as the magic faded away, Lisette felt her breaths slow as her heart beat pounded in her battered body.  But soon, even that faded away as her eye slid shut into nothingness.

    "Lisette?  Oh God!" Blake cried, watching in horror as all tension visibly drained from the young woman's body, her head lolling to the side.  No longer worried about fear of her injuries, he quickly surged forward, his hands brushing her still lips as he watched her still chest.  "I don't think she's breathing!"

    Skydancer panicked.  Breathing harshly as she pushed herself up into a kneeling position, the gargess watched as the life force drained from Lisette.  Sky's hand ran briefly over that mage's face, noting the coolness that began to settle over it.  Lisette had begun to die.

    Feeling no pulse under searching talons, Firedancer leaned down over Lisette's face and urgently waved for the other two to be silent.  She neither heard nor felt any air escape the mage's lungs and sat back up.  Straddling her body, Fire immediately began compressions on her chest as she looked at the other two who were on the verge of panic.

    "Okay guys, let's just calm down here -- panicking isn't going to bring her back.  Blake, do you know CPR?  Can you breathe for me while I compress?" she asked him, hoping her own calmness would relax their own rattled nerves.  Truth be told, inside she was just as upset as they were.  It was only by long-instilled training from years past, that forced her to keep a cool exterior in the face of possibly losing yet another she was beginning to think of as a friend.

    Nodding quickly, Blake focused on the gargess's words as he pushed forward and waited until the red creature nodded at him.  Taking his cue, he quickly tilted Lisette's head back, pinched her nose closed, and then breathed deeply into her mouth, filling her longs with much needed air in two deep breaths.  Edging back, he nodded to Fire as she continued the chest compressions, he following her lead every so often to breathe for the young woman.  But by this point he was moving solely on automation as his worried eyes took in her white pallor -- she looked as though she was sleeping.  But it would be a sleep from which she would never awaken unless they could do something to help her.

    Skydancer pushed herself back against the wall so that she was out of the way.  Hugging her arm to herself, she silently prayed to Mother Earth that her friend would be okay.  Pushing the dried, bloody tendrils of her hair away from her face, the gargess watched anxiously as Blake and Firedancer hovered over Lisette.  Sky had no idea what this "CPR" was, but she hoped it would work.

    Five minutes later, Fire paused and leaned forward, searching for any signs of life.  When none presented itself, she nodded and Blake leaned down to breathe for Lisette once more.  They resumed their efforts, Fire's quiet counting echoing throughout the cavern.  Another five minutes went by, and still no life.  Now even she was getting frustrated because under her talons, the gargess could sense nothing from Lisette.  As she compressed, her mind raced as to what she could do.  A dozen remedies came to mind, but every one of them required something she didn't have access to, trapped in this damn cave.  "Geez, what I wouldn't give right now for one syringe of Epi or a defib kit," she muttered.

    "Defib kit?" Blake asked, his face draining of color as he realized the implications of the gargess's words: Lisette's heart had stopped and the CPR wasn't enough... Fire wanted to shock Lisette's heart to get it beating again.  But they didn't have any of the equipment that was needed, and without it, Lisette was going to die.  Suddenly, something clicked as Blake turned and looked at the tan gargess with a strange look in his eyes.  "Defib kit?"

    You know...." Fire's voice trailed off though as she looked up at him and saw him staring at Sky.  And suddenly the implication hit her and she froze mid-compression.  Her eyes locked with Blake's and then both looked back at Sky. "Jesus I am so stupid," Fire groaned as she slapped a hand against her forehead and shook her head.

    Sky watched the look of recognition shared by the human and the crimson gargess.  Pushing her loose hair behind her ear again she leaned forward, anxiety passing her face as fear for Lisette filled her body.  "What??" she asked anxiously, almost afraid of the answer, "what is it??"

    "We need to reach her skin," he muttered to himself, ignoring the gargess as he quickly leaned forward and began to slide Lisette's jacket away from her shoulders before attacking her heavy wool sweater with a vengeance.  Gritting his teeth, he struggled with the hem line, lifting it up across her bare abdomen before stopping as he realized the fruitlessness of the situation.

    "Damn," Fire berated herself again before she began ripping Lisette's heavy sweater open from the turtleneck down, solving Blake's problem.  "Keep breathing for her Blake..... Sky we need you!"

    Skydancer quickly came forward once more as she watched the other two rip open Lisette's sweater to reveal her upper chest.  Not quite knowing what the other two had in mind but gathering it was important, she stood at ample attention.  "What do you want me to do?" she responded.

    Being ever gentle with the Skydancer's injured arm, Fire reached over and guided one of Sky's talons onto Lisette's left rib cage, and placed the other just above the mage's left breast.  "Okay," Fire began, taking a deep breath, hoping this would work.  This wasn't exactly a controlled situation, but it would have to do.  "I want you to run one of your bolts from one hand to the other, through Lisette."

    A dawning passed across the Skydancer's face as she realized what the crimson gargess wanted her to do.  "I see... kind of like a current to jump start her heart," Sky nodded in understanding.  Wincing as she flexed her talons on her left hand a bit, the tan she-goyle took a deep breath.  "Here goes nothing.... lightning!!!" Skydancer commanded sending out a charge of the brilliant white electricity.  A flashing whip of the current burst forth from her hand and surged into the mage, causing her body to jump up at random before the bolt went charging back into Skydancer's other hand.  Quickly the young woman's body came slamming back down to the ground as Sky clutched her left arm.  The erratic movement and the electrical charge going through it had caused a flash of pain.  Ignoring it however, the gargess turned back towards Lisette as the others bent over to check on her.  "Did it work?" she asked anxiously, her green eyes flashing with worry.

    Trying to look anywhere but the sharp contrast between Lisette's pale skin and the dark bruises that were already beginning to mar the surface that had been hidden beneath her thick sweater, Blake quickly reached forward and pressed his fingers gently against Lisette's neck, searching desperately for a pulse.  "Nothing," he hissed before quickly leaning down and giving two more quick breaths of fresh oxygen to her depraved lungs.

    "Again, Sky," Fire ordered as soon as Blake moved back away from Lisette's unmoving form.  "Step up the juice this time."

    Nodding, Skydancer again put both talons on Lisette's still form, wincing at the pain the movement in her arm caused her.  Taking a deep breath the gargess focused her emerald eyes on the mage's face.  "Come on, Lis...." she whispered, "LIGHTNING!!!"  Rapidly, a giant flash of the white hot spark flashed out of Skydancer's hand and into the silent body of Lisette.  Once again the young woman jumped into the air as the voltage rushed through her body and into Skydancer's other hand.  Slamming back down to the ground even harder this time, Sky leaned forward, anxiously wondering if the charged electricity had done its job this time.

    As soon as it was clear, Blake darted forward once more and felt for a pulse while checking her breathing.  "Nothing," he repeated grimly, his forehead pinched as he bent down and breathed twice more for the young woman.  "Damnit, come on," he hissed as he pulled away, clearing way for the electrically charged gargess once more.

    Once more Skydancer warily placed her hands on the mage's body.  Her own lithe form was throbbing now, especially her arm.  The tan she-goyle had never before used so much energy in such a short amount of time, but Sky was determined to save her friend if she could.  "LIGHTNING!!" she shouted again in a raspy voice, hoping against hope that the force of nature she commanded would do the trick.

    As the mage's body arced once more under the electrical current that ran through it and then slumped back to the cold floor lifelessly again, the firewielder looked away, struggling to maintain her composure as yet another friend lay dying on the ground at her feet.  Fire swallowed, a sick feeling growing in her stomach, her talons curled into fists so tightly that they dug into her palms as a mix of strong emotions surged through her.  With her eyes closed she could feel the old familiar tingle, and it tormented her further.  As her anger rose, the feeling grew stronger and finally Fire snapped.  "I'm not going to lose another person on my shift," she swore to herself in a harsh whisper.

    Shifting forward, Fire pushed Blake aside and rested her talons on Lisette's rapidly cooling skull.  In the dim light of the cavern she could make out the faint glow that was beginning to radiate from her own skin and silently prayed that her desperate plan would work.  Closing her eyes, Fire immediately felt the dizzying drop and was once again inside Lisette's broken and lifeless body.  This time, however, she managed not to recoil and withdraw in shock, and slowly her mind gained more confidence the further she explored.  Within a minute her mind was racing along Lisette's overworked pathways and came across the root of their problem.  It was as she had suspected... sometimes you could shock a person a hundred times, but if the pathways from the heart to the brain aren't connecting, you might as well have saved yourself the trouble.

    Lisette's last desperate use of her magic had overloaded most of her pathways, so the shocks to her heart were useless unless they could get her entire neurosystem to reset itself.  Just like when a circuit breaker trips..... everything shuts down until you flip the switch, Fire thought silently, hoping that she was right.  Her eyes still shut, Fire nodded to Sky.  "Put your hands back on her Sky... I need to link with you," she instructed quietly.

    Breathing heavily, Skydancer turned her weary green eyes to Fire.  Placing her hands again on Lisette's body she slowly nodded.  "Just give the word," she responded, feeling light-headed herself.

    "Are you sure about this?" Blake asked uneasily from beside the two gargoyles, watching the intense concentration on their faces as he unconsciously edged back a bit further.

    No, Fire thought to herself, but she remained silent.  As she felt Sky's warm presence beyond the barrier of Lisette's skin, her mind moved forward until she could feel the Skydancer's life-force just above her.  "Close your eyes... relax... and don't fight me," Fire whispered as she reached out towards Skydancer and suddenly merged with the dark gargess.  Then, before Skydancer could struggle or resist, Fire pulled her mind down into Lisette's body and then paused to let the other female adjust.  "Just keep breathing.... don't panic... as soon as you open your eyes you will break your link and be back by yourself again," she reassured quietly.

    Skydancer took one deep breath, closed her eyes, and silently sent a prayer to Mother Earth.  This just HAD to work.  Breathing deeply, the green-eyed gargess became aware of something else.  Having sensed that Sky had relaxed enough, Fire slowly began to guide her, showing Sky exactly where Lisette would need the next charge the most.  Sky found the link stimulating, to say the least, and immensely warm.  Once again, Sky found herself in awe by the crimson gargoyle's hidden talents but forced herself to focus back on Lisette as she prepared to give the mage another bolt of electricity on Fire's command.

    As Fire returned both her mind and Sky's back to where her talons rested against Lisette's chest. She could feel the white hot electricity building in Sky, and cringed inwardly.  "I will do my best to hold on and guide you all the way.... if I can't, at least you have an idea of what needs to be done even if you won't be able to see."  Then she took a deep breath and braced herself.  "Ok.... on three.  One, two.... three."

    "LIGHTNING!!!" the tan gargess shouted on Firedancer's command.  The white hot electricity burst forth from Skydancer's hand and surged into Lisette, more powerful than before, channeling through the mage's body towards the paths that the crimson gargess had laid out.  Sky held her breath as her powers ran through her friend, hoping against hope that Fire was able to do her stuff to save the mage.

    But as she stiffened with a sharp gasp, Fire realized, as she had expected, that it would not be without cost.  As she quickly guided Sky and her power to the broken pathways, that same energy that began to reset Lisette's
synapses and pathways also coursed into Fire's body.  It was like holding onto a live wire, and when the charge reached Lisette's brain, it homed in on Fire's physical contact with Lisette, seeking an outlet.  The resulting surge, blew Fire back a couple of feet in a smoking heap.

    "Fire!!" Blake quickly called out, his voice filled with panic as he watched the gargess land in a pile of limp limbs onto the hard stone floor.  All around him the air was filled with the scent of scorched flesh, and gagging, he quickly brought his arm to his mouth to hold back the nauseating scent as he caught a slight movement from the corner of his eye where before there was none.  Turning quickly, hope filled him as he watched Lisette's chest begin to rise in uneven breaths, her pale skin grimy from the electrical contact.  "Lisette?" he whispered in awe, leaning forward until his ear was hovering over her partially opened lips.  "She's breathing," he whispered, to no one and to everyone at once as he felt her warm breath gently fan his cheek.  "It worked.. it worked!" he cried out enthusiastically, turning to the others.. only to remember what this small miracle may have cost them.  "Oh God," he breathed as he watched the Skydancer move to Fire's side.

    Clutching her very sore arm to her side, Sky knelt down next to Fire.  The crimson gargess seemed to have had the wind knocked out of her.  Anxiously, Sky ran her green eyes over the other gargess's body, trying to decipher
whether or not she was hurt.  Reaching out her uninjured hand towards the Firedancer, Sky touched her arm.  "Fire?" she asked in a harsh whisper, not quite sure what to expect.

    Every nerve in Fire's body screamed as her body finally decided it had had enough punishment for one night.  She tried to respond as she slowly came around, but an unintelligible moan was the only sound that came out of her throat.  It was useless to move, because the jolt to her system had temporarily paralyzed her muscles.  So she contented herself with opening her eyes and focusing her weary questioning gaze on Sky's concerned features, hoping that their desperate attempt to rouse Lisette actually worked.

    A sigh of relief escaped the Skydancer as she saw Fire slowly come too.  Knowing the extent of her own powers, the tan gargess was sure that Fire had taken quite a jolt.  Reaching out, Sky put a hand behind Fire's back as she helped the other gargess to sit up.  Blake's words had caught her attention, however, and she turned her green eyes over to him and Lisette as she took in the scene before her.  "It worked?" she echoed him, nodding towards the young woman who laid before him.

    "For now," Blake called out grimly from his position beside Lisette, hesitant to leave her side.  Even though she seemed to be breathing once again, that didn't mean that she was out of the woods yet.  She wasn't even conscious yet and Blake had no idea if this meant that she even would regain consciousness soon.  He was a lawyer, not a doctor, and that meant in all areas of medicine he was clueless.  "But we need to get her to the hospital asap!" he added as he quickly reached forward and snagged the old, green army blanket that had been thrown aside in their haste and used it to cover up Lisette's exposed skin, hiding the vicious bruises and cuts that discolored her pale skin.

       Sky nodded unsteadily.  The throb in her arm was roaring to life again but she knew the dawn wouldn't be long in coming.  That was what concerned her most, however-- that sunrise WOULD come and Fire and she would be unable to help their human comrades while encased in stone.  Lisette was wounded and dreadfully.  Time was not on their side in this case.  Slowly she turned back to Firedancer.  The crimson gargess still didn't look altogether there.  "Fire?" she asked again, wondering if she would get a response this time or just another groan.

    Still leaning heavily against Sky, Fire cleared her throat and tried to speak again. "Yeah," she acknowledged as she looked down at her talons, which hurt tremendously. The scorch marks and blistered skin attested as to why, but as she looked back over at Lisette who was breathing once more, she felt it was more than worth it. "Good job Sky," she commended hoarsely.  "But Blake is right...this will all be for nothing if we don't get out of here soon and get her to a hospital."

The Cave-In

    Merlyn's bright green ball of magic gently set her down before the huge rock slide at the base of a high cliff.  Water poured all over the place from where it had been diverted by the cave-in.  The mad mage was sure it had once been a beautiful place.  Surveying the situation, she turned her blue eyes over the granite slabs, looking for any signs of life.  According to the gargoyle, Shadow, two gargesses and a mage should be here.  Yet, Merlyn saw nothing save for evidence of a battle that had recently taken place.  Dying embers of glowing fires from burnt tree trunks were slowly fading with the darkness.  It had been a while since the action had taken place.

    Turning, Merlyn saw to her right that Pendragoness was arriving right behind her.  Raising her hand, she signaled for her former pupil to arrive where she was standing.  "Over here, Pen," she called.

    Stepping behind her mentor, Pen surveyed what was left of the trees at the face of the rockslide.  "They're most likely in there.  So that means it won't be an easy task to get them out," she muttered, once again inspecting the mountain's side.  "And a fireball would bring the rest of that down, wouldn't you say?" she asked Merlyn.

    "Definitely," the mage said in agreement as she heard another SWOOSH and turned to see Shadow landing beside them. "Shadow!" Merlyn exclaimed, holding her green orb a bit higher to better see the dark gargoyle.  "Do you know this mountain?  We think your friends are probably trapped inside."

    Shadow fluttered her wings slightly, only paying the slightest attention to the mage speaking.  She became silent and almost completely still as her dark eyes surveyed the surroundings, searching for almost anything out of the ordinary.  Satisfied that they were safe for now, she turned to Merlyn.  "Yes, I do know this mountain.  They are in here as well... I can feel them."

    Pen silently agreed with the dark gargoyle. She could sense several auras inside -- two humans and two gargoyles.  All were in pain and all afraid of the coming dawn.  And... the blond mage could feel their link to another aura, one she knew.... Well, I'll have to look into that once we get to them, she thought.

    Merlyn looked over at her former pupil.  "You sense them, don't you Pen?"  The mad mage knew the special talent her pupil had for sensing auras.  

    Turing her attention back to the rock pile before them, Merlyn tried to determine the best way to get to those inside.  "Perhaps we should start from the top," she stated as she focused her mind to the top of what had been the cave.

    A green ball of light appeared and surrounded the top boulder, lifting it effortlessly up and sending it plummeting to the ground.  Small pebbles began to roll down the sides, but besides that nothing major happened.  "Well it looks like we'll have to take this apart one by one.  You two want to join in?" Merlyn asked, turning towards Shadow and Pen.

    Pen cracked her knuckles deliberately.  "You got it, Sensei," she said, and raised her hands.  A green light
flowed from her fingertips and surrounded a nearby boulder.  Pen 'carried' it away from the mountainside and let it drop a safe distance away.  The mage grinned.  "You taught me this spell after all, Merlyn."  Pen went to work on the cave-in again.  "I feel we best hurry you guys.... all the auras are weakening.... one in particular.  We gotta get to them soon," Pen acknowledged conversationally, though a chill went down her spine.  They may know that one I lost.... I have to get to them.

    Merlyn nodded her agreement with Pen as she sent another green glob up to the top of the rock slide.  "If their auras are weakening, we must get to them quickly!  They could be hurt or dying in there," the Mad Mage commented as another boulder came tumbling down from the pile.  "There's no telling what we'll find in there."

    Pen found herself grinning as she went for the next boulder.  "Yes, no telling what...." she said as she 'lifted' two more boulders off the mountainside in rapt succession and went for three more.  "Come on!" she called to her companions, really swinging into it.

Within Sky's Cavern

    Inside the collapsed cavern, the three waited in silence not sure of what else to do.  Lisette's raspy breath could be heard above the din of the silence, echoing throughout the chamber as it assured her friends that she was alive -- albeit barely.  Sighing with a tinge of pain, Skydancer sat down next to what was left of the doorway as she hugged her arm to her.  Dawn was only a couple of hours away and she knew she would heal with its warming rays, but her concern was for the young woman before them.  Lisette had been the first to offer her friendship in this strange new world and the Dancer of the Sky did not want to lose her now.  Leaning her head against the rock wall of the cavern, she closed her green eyes against the pain that radiated through her.

    Just then, a faint rumbling sound filled the cavern -- Sky thought she was dreaming.  There it was again!!  "What??" the tan gargess breathed as she leaned closer to the wall, feeling vibrations coming from what had been the entrance to her mountain home.  Then, the strange rumbling sounded once more.  She was definitely not dreaming this time!!  Not wanting to alarm or give false hope to Blake, Sky crawled over to Fire who was a few feet from her.  "Fire," she whispered, her green eyes taking on an excitement, "could you come here for a moment? I think I hear something."  Motioning for the crimson gargess to follow her, Sky made her way back towards the wall she had been leaning against.

   Fire looked up from wrapping her injured hands, her brow furrowing.  She hadn't heard anything, but then again, with the pounding in her skull, she could have easily missed a bomb going off at this moment.  Suppressing a groan, Fire crawled unsteadily back to her feet and followed after her companion as she headed back towards the wall. "What's up?" she asked in a tired whisper.

    Frantically, Sky gestured towards the blocked entrance to the cave with her uninjured hand.  "Listen!!" she said in a whispered hiss, her eyes snapping with emerald fire.  "I think I heard something... from outside!"

    "Hey, what's going on?" Blake asked from his position across the room, his narrowed eyes locking on the two gargesses.  With the grim quiet that filled the dank cavern, it had been all but impossible for him to not notice the secretive whispering and scurrying by the two.  This time, he just hoped that it wasn't more bad news.

    Fire cocked her head to one side and closed her eyes in concentration.  She finally heard the rumble, followed by.... a series of steady crashes?  Looking back at Blake she finally allowed hope to enter her dark eyes.  "It looks like the cavalry may have finally shown up.  Let's just hope they don't bring down this house of cards before they can get in here," she added as dust and pebbles began to rain down on them in steady trickles.

    Looking around she found a small overhang that jutted out from on wall and gestured to it.  "Let's all move over there, it'll be the safest place to wait just in case this cave doesn't hold together," she said as she attempted to stand.  Suddenly there was a great roaring in her head and everything spun.  Her unsteady legs crumpled beneath her, sending her to the ground in a moaning heap.

    "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sky exclaimed as she reached out with her uninjured hand to steady Firedancer.  Concern flashed in Sky's green eyes as she surveyed the red gargess.  The firewielder looked as if she had been through hell, literally.  Sky was sure she didn't look any better.  "Just take it easy, Fire," the she-goyle said, helping the other female sit up.  "If Shadow IS digging out there, it's going to take her a while to get through.  Just breathe deeply for a few minutes.  None of us are in any shape to move quickly, despite the necessity of it."

    Glancing over at the human next the still form of Lisette, Sky's emerald eyes met those of Blake across the dimness of the cave.  "We think we hear movement outside.... Blake," Sky said, responding to his earlier question as she stumbled over his unfamiliar name.  "It sounds as if someone is digging.   There's a rumbling or a vibration of some sort."

   Straining his ears, Blake struggled to hear what had captured the other's attention -- all to no avail.  Sighing, he quickly shook his head before glancing balefully at the tanned gargess.  "Are you sure?  I don't hear-" he broke off as the heavy sound of rock bouncing off of rock echoed off of the somber walls of their little cavern.  Surprised, he felt his eyes widen as loose rock fell around them, scattering the heavy layer of dust and grit that layered the craggy stone floor.

    Fire, however, was beyond caring about any noises from outside the cave at the moment.  As she wobbled back and forth unsteadily even in a sitting position, the nausea and dizziness grew worse with each passing second. The expending of all her energy and trying to survive on several stim tabs had finally taken its toll.  Her stomach lurched in warning and Fire just barely managed to push away from Sky and turn her back before she began to lose what little was left of her breakfast.

    Even after the food had come up she continued with several dry heaves before she managed to get her stomach under control.  She spit to try and clear the foul taste from her mouth and then moved away from the mess she had just made.  Her head pounded even worse, sweat soaked her skin, and she was trembling like a newborn hatchling.  "I think.... I'll rest....  for a little bit..." she panted as she sat back down next to Sky.  "Wake me when it ge's.. int'restin'" she slurred just before she passed out cold.

   "Great Mother Earth!!!!" Skydancer swore as she barely caught the Firedancer as she passed out.  Easing Fire gently to the ground as best she could, Sky put two talons to the other gargess's neck.  A faint steady pulse drummed against her fingers.  Glancing over at Blake where he was next to Lisette, Sky eyed the weariness of the human.  "Fire's out," she said, "and we'll be too if we don't get out of here soon..."

    Sighing, Blake was about to agree when the sound of shifting rock became deafening.  Moving instinctively, the young man ducked forward and used his body to shield Lisette's against the roar of falling rock, protecting her as best as he could.  When the noise finally, thankfully, ceased, he lifted his head and squinted his eyes against the swirling dust that filled the cavern, coughing as the thick substance coated his lungs.  Blinking his watering eyes, Blake watched in amazement as a new light filled the cavern -- the light of a full moon that sifted through crumbled rock and poured into their darkened cavern and silhouetting three tall figures.  "Who are you?" he gasped between harsh, wracking coughs.

    "Hey, we broke through!" Pen called out.  She jumped through the opening and got her first real look at the four auras she sensed earlier.  "Oh man, someone really did a number on you guys," she chided gently, taking off her jacket and putting it around the human female who looked the most in need of dire help.  And a trip to the hospital.  Pen reached for her jacket again to pull out a cell phone.  "Heh, 'snot mine.  I transported it from the pocket of someone downtown who was calling..... his girlfriend.  So I guess we have more need of it now than him."  Pen dialed 9-1-1.

    Coughing from the dust that was settling, Skydancer watched in amazement as three figures came into the collapsed cavern -- two she didn't recognize followed closely by Shadow.  She didn't know who the strangers were but at this point she didn't care.  Closing her weary green eyes for a moment, she relaxed briefly against the wall beside the unconscious Firedancer.  Clutching her injured arm to herself, Sky let all the tension leave her as she watched one of the two strangers pick up a contraption she knew was called a phone.  Help can't get here fast enough, she thought, closing her eyes again.

    Merlyn approached the downed gargess who was leaning against the wall.  There was dried blood on the side of her head and her hair was a tangled mess that was still partially tied in a braid.  Conjuring up a green glowball, the mad one kneeled down and gently let it run over the gargess's cut where it looked like it had been seared closed.  "This is a haphazard job, but it looks like it did the trick for the time being," Merlyn commented as the gargoyle in front of her focused her green eyes. 

     Turning to the figure beside the green-eyed gargoyle, Merlyn gasped as she encountered another gargess lying on the ground.  This one however, was bright red and out cold.  "I don't know if I can say the same for your friend though."

    Wearily, Blake watched the strangers move amongst them, seemingly so calm while the blood pounded furiously in Blake's own veins.  Lisette was in really bad shape, dying even, and she needed help now.  Frowning, Blake watched as one of the strangers attempted to call for help from a cell phone.  Scowling, he shook his head curtly in frustration.  "No time," he interrupted, reaching forward to snatch the phone from the girl's fingers and turn it off.  "Lisette needs to get to a hospital -- now," he instructed, nodding at the unconscious young woman lying before him.  "The paramedics will take too long to get here," he explained as he struggled to his feet and gently lifted Lisette into his arms, wary of causing her further damage or pain.  "Lisette.." he broke off, turning to meet Skydancer's eyes, "she used some kind of ... magic," he sputtered, getting past the unbelievable word, "to get us here.  Can someone do the same to get us to the hospital?  I don't think she has time for much else."

   The desperation that Sky saw in Blake's eyes caused her to react to the serious situation that she knew Lisette was still in.  Reaching out, she grabbed a hold of the arm of the young woman who was checking her out and met her pale eyes with her bright green ones.  "I'll live," Skydancer stated to the mad mage beside her, "and Fire will survive too, but Lisette..... Lis needs help... now."  Sky gestured with her chin towards the fallen form of Lisette where Blake and Pendragoness knelt on the ground.

    GO away, Fire thought with a moan as voices suddenly filled her ears and chased away the darkness that she had readily accepted.  With her slowly regaining consciousness came the pain, nausea, and the overwhelming exhaustion.  The voices finally became clear, and Sky was telling some one to get Lis help right away.  Lisette. That name made the Firedancer sit upright as she looked around trying to find the mage amongst the number of people that now filled the cavern.  Unfortunately her actions were a bit too fast for her exhausted body, and she doubled over trying to suppress another wave of nausea.  "Sky - Lisette... is she still alive?" Fire asked hoarsely.

    "Yeah, but she needs help.... fast," the Skydancer responded, watching as the two strangers interchanged looks.  She wondered who they were.

   "I believe I can do something about that.  Mentor, if you would step a little closer," Pen said.  The mage raised her hand and began to cast a spell.  She, the mad mage, gargoyles and their wounded charges began to vanish in a growing green light.

    When the light cleared, Blake found he and the others standing beside the quiet entrance to the Emergency Room at Castellum General Hospital.  As relief flooded through him, he quickly nodded at the others, hidden in dark shadows, before darting towards the closed doors, Lisette settled limply in his arms as they slid open to allow him admittance.  Instantly, the night noises of the city died away to be replaced by the loud bustle of the large hospital.  "Somebody, help me out here!" he ground out hoarsely, surprising the night staff as he unceremoniously deposited Lisette's still form onto a waiting gurney.

    Skydancer, meanwhile, crawled back into the shadows of the hospital building as Blake stepped forward with Lisette in his arms.  As soon as the human male shouted the doors of the brick monstrosity opened up with a scurry of human activity.  Though the three gargoyles and two mages were close by in the veiled layers of darkness no one noticed them as the people in white quickly focused their attention on Lisette.  Please be alright! Sky thought, her green eyes filled with pain and worry for her friend.

    The madmage helped Pendragoness and Shadow get the two injured gargesses up against the building.  Merlyn wasn't sure how far the human male would get with the one called Lisette, but it was in God's hands now.  "I hope we're in time," she whispered to Pen.

    Fire took advantage of the momentary distraction to distance herself from the group as she pulled out her cell phone.  She dusted it off, hoping it was still working.  Thankfully the faceplate glowed as she flipped it open and with a press of a button, it dialed her coded number without a problem.  "Yes?" a voice asked neutrally on the other line.

    "I have it," Fire told the Guild Master hoarsely.

    "Are you alright?  I'll send Michael right away-"

    "No, I'll keep it in a safe place and fly it too him tomorrow night.  It's too close to dawn and there are some.... new arrivals at the mansion, it seems," Fire explained, her eyes flicking back to the strangers that had helped Shadow to rescue them.  "It would not be safe for them to go there during the day."

    "You sound terrible," he observed, concerned.

    "I feel terrible, but I'll live."

    "Once you have delivered the amulet your mission is accomplished and you can return home.  You have done well my dear."

    Fire looked at the group and then towards the hospital doors as she cleared her throat.  "Ahhhh... if it's okay with you sir... I would like to stay for a little longer."

    There was pause and then a sigh.  "I warned you not to get too close Firedancer.  These people have no idea who you are and they will mostly likely not be happy with you if ever they should find out."

    "I just want to see them through this.  Besides, Storm and Shaylyn are not dead, so they are still a threat.  I wish to remain until that threat has been neutralized."

    "Very well, since they have made themselves a threat to the Guild I will allow you to remain.  But I expect you to return once you have tied up your loose ends."

    "Yes Guild Master," Fire responded quietly before folding the phone back up and slipping back next to Sky.

    The Skydancer watched as Fire came closer to her and slipped something into the folds of her clothing.  Briefly she wondered what it was but the pain in her arm soon clouded everything else out.  Looking up at the night sky, she saw the first streaks of dawn beginning to edge towards the horizon.  The sun would be here in less than an hour.  "I think we'd better get back to Janua," the tan gargess gestured towards the skyline.  "Dawn is not too far away and there's nothing more that we can do here.  As concerned as I am for Lis, we need to heal ourselves as well."  

    Briefly the gargess looked up towards the two strangers and Shadow.  "Do you three think you could transport us back to the mansion?  We can talk more there before entering stone sleep," Skydancer said, making eye contact with the other three huddled next to her and Fire.

    Quickly standing up, the madmage drew close to the two wounded gargoyles.  Gesturing for Shadow to step closer as well, Merlyn held out her hands to Pendragoness so they could begin their spell of transportation.  Locking hands with her former pupil, the young witch-mage began the spell, "Earth, water, fire, and sky; help us up, help us fly..." she began, waiting for her pupil to finish.

    "Water, fire, sky and earth, take us to our new friend's hearth...." Pen answered as green light shone from between the mage's hands, surrounding them and the three gargoyles.  "Okay, so I flunked rhyming," Pen added sheepishly as the five vanished from the alley, leaving the night once more untouched and silent.

   "What's wrong with her?" a nurse quickly barked as she took in the young woman's torn and bloodied clothing, an old and ragged army blanket sliding away to reveal dark and mottled bruises across her bared chest.  Quickly she reached forward and began to assess the damages, stethoscope in hand.

   "A cave-in at the mountain," Blake quickly explained, running a weary hand through his unruly hair, "she was trapped-" he broke off as the nurse cursed beneath her breath, her eyes growing wide as she glanced around the crowded hall.

   "She's stopped breathing!" she interrupted, her voice filled with urgency as Blake was pushed aside, the small gurney suddenly swarmed by medical personnel.  "Get her in a room!"

   Shaking his head slowly, Blake absently rubbed a throbbing muscle as his mind became numb.  Blinking his eyes, he turned wordlessly to the door that he just entered and stared out into the stillness of the dark night beyond.  And then, as the world began to swim around him, he sighed shakily and moved towards the window that divided the hall from the room beyond.  "Lisette," he whispered, his voice catching in his throat as the darkness that he had been fighting for so long, building both from weariness, cold, pain and shock, finally overwhelmed him and sent him to blessed release.

To be continued...