The Loremaster Series: The Orpheum Road
By Rahsaan Footman  e-mail: rdfootman@csupomona.edu

Greetings and welcome. I won't keep from reading what 
happens next. The character from Gargoyles and Fa'Seer are 
the property of Disney and Buena Vista Television. The 
storycrafters, including Clio, Max, and Bandjax are my invention.  
Its best to read 'David and Goliath' before reading this, but you 
can keep up without it.  As always feedback, good, bad or 
indifferent are always welcome. And now the story continues. . .


(Fox's voice) 'Previously on Gargoyles:'

'Awakening Pt. 2'
(Xanatos): "You know the answer to that. Pay a man enough 
and he'll walk barefoot into hell.

'Avalon Pt. 2'
(Archmage): "I heard the legends, but I never dreamed they 
were real."
(The Weird Sisters): "All things are true."

'Grief'
(Amir): "To hold him again, I'd move heaven and earth with 
my bare hands"

'Vendetta'
(Hudson to Hakon): "Get an afterlife!"

'Walkabout'
(Shauman): "All things come from the dreaming. It is all 
around us."

	The third stone whizzed through the air. It connected 
with Goliath's forehead, making an audible smack. He went 
down. To Elisa's recollection, it seemed like he fell forever. 
Goliath crashed into the courtyard with a thud that knocked 
the air out Elisa, Angela and Demona as well. Elisa leaned 
precarious over the battlements. Angela caught her, gliding 
down to the fallen warrior.
	"Goliath!" Elisa ran the remaining distance.  She felt 
for a pulse, none. "No!" she whispered. She performed CPR, 
nothing. "NO!" she said louder. "Breath!" 
	Elisa continued trying to revived her love.  At the far 
end of the courtyard, Xanatos came out of a trance-like state. 
He saw the sling in his hand, and the fallen gargoyle immediately 
understanding what happened. He threw the sling away, shrinking 
away from what he'd done. "NO!" Elisa wailed, when Angela 
tried pulling her away.
	On the tower overlooking it all, Demona observed the 
tragedy with mixed feelings.  Behind her, the Loremaster sidled 
next to her. "You finally got what you wanted, Goliath's death. 
Congratulations," he spoke in mirth.
	Demona turned to crush this annoying insect only see 
him vanish in a flash. "NO! NO! NO!" Elisa's voice reached the 
frantic pitch of desperation.  Demona looked down on the sad 
scene played out before her. Demona could almost revel in the 
woman's misery, then she saw her daughter.  Angela, her legs 
giving out from under her, lay across Goliath's body, crying in 
anguish and grief. Demona wanted to comfort her daughter, 
but she also wanted to shout with glee. The contrast was unbearable.  
Maybe it was that, or Elisa's  pleading 'No's, but suddenly Demona 
couldn't take it anymore. She took wing into the night.
	Brooklyn and the others scrambled up from the Great Hall. 
They saw Elisa and Angela weeping over Goliath's motionless form.  
Hudson knocked the others out of the way to reach Goliath. "Lad, 
wake up.  Please only be asleep." But between Angela's crying 
and Elisa wailing, there was no doubt.  Goliath was dead.

	"Too late," a small voice cried, "No!"
	Angela's face cleared, recognizing the apprentice 
loremaster, Clio. "Can you save him?"
	The young storyteller shook her head sadly. "I can't."
	"Save him," Angela demanded, her eyes turning red.
"It's not my story," Clio explained, "I have no more 
control over how it ends than you do, watching a movie. It's 
out of my hands."
	"I won't accept that," Angela sobbed, "He doesn't 
deserve this fate."
	Clio wiped away her tears, "I'm sorry."  She began 
fading away, "I'm so sorry." She vanished with a sorrowful 
face, showing so much regret.

	Clio teleported straight to Scriptorium, the Storycrafter's 
guildhall.  Determination filled her stride as she marched to the 
Main Archive. Patterned like the reading room of the Library of 
Congress, the Main Archive was vast round bowl, terraced with 
desks and lamps. Mythwrights and taleweavers studied at 
numerous desks pouring over tomes, histories, treatises and 
scroll. She found the Loremaster she was looking for, surrounded 
by a crowd of admirers.  Clio marched straight for the smug 
storyteller, ire flashing in her brown eyes. 
	Maximillian presented an image of a grief stricken 
Demona, sobbing quietly atop one of New York's many 
skyscrapers, to a crowd of onlookers. "Thus a villain of the 
fatal flaw variety finds salvation," he lectured proudly, "I hope 
this will prove my skill to all who would doubt me." 
	A number of wordsmiths and mythwrights sighed and 
took his abuse. Max's bragging was insufferable, but he did 
win the challenge. The storycrafters were pushed rudely away 
as Clio confronted her master.
	"Save Goliath!" she demanded without preamble.
	"I was wondering where you got to,"  Max showing 
mock concern.
	"Save Goliath, NOW!!!"
	"My, my, finally found some pluck, little one," the 
Loremaster smiled.
	"I don't have time for this.  Goliath's life isn't part 
of your game."
	"A game!" The Loremaster shot up insulted, "Is that 
what you think this is? A game?"
	The crowd was split between knowing smiles and grim 
frowns.  Max was smooth. He was never caught breaking the 
rules of storycrafting; frivolous use of story magic being top 
on that list; using it for personal gain, number 2.
"Think well who you challenge me again," Max drew 
himself up to his full height, head and shoulders above Clio. 
Before last night, Clio shied away from such attention, backing 
down from such challenge, but not with Goliath's life on the line. 
She wasn't going to be bullied out of this.
	"What would you call it?" Clio shot back, "You manipulated 
them, all of them, moving them around like pieces on a damn 
chessboard!"
	"All to serve a greater good, the salvation of Demona." 
Max replied silkily.
	"Bullshit! This was to serve your ego, to win a bet, 
nothing greater."
	"Clio, you are my apprentice, so I'll forgive this little 
outburst, but don't test my limits." The Loremaster warned her, 
"You had you chance to save him and lost.  No amount of 
screaming and hollering about how unfair it is, will change 
that. Goliath's dead and there's no bringing him back."
	Maximillian didn't bother excusing himself.  He picked 
himself up and left for a private reading room. His entourage 
of admirers followed him, some giving her the same warning 
glance. Clio prepared to chase after him, when a hand grabbed 
her sharply.  The hand belong to an older man with cloud gray 
hair. A bandage wrapped around his head covering his eyes, 
Fa'Seer.  He was the kindly old man who took care of the 
Scriptorium.
	"Maximillian will not help you," Fa'Seer spoke aloud 
what she already knew in her heart.
	"I can't let it end like this," Clio argued with him.
	"Nor should you, but your effort might be better spent 
elsewhere," Fa'Seer's gruff voice spoke reason.  Logic cut 
through her angry tears. Clio stared at Fa'Seer.
	"Can you help me?" Clio asked, hope ringing in her voice.
	"No, but I know someone who can," Fa'Seer pulled the 
girl down another corridor.
	As the blind librarian lead her through the basement of 
Scriptorium, he began gabbing away,	"It's time you learned 
more than books will tell you," 
Fa'Seer always spoke cryptically, now more than usual, 
"There are mysteries vaster and powers greater than our own. 
Maximillian and his school of thought would like to dismiss 
Deus et Machina as a plot device, but there is one who knows 
the truth and believes. His domain is down here."
	The caretaker took her below the Main Archive, even 
below the basement. The place was warm and humid from the 
pipes crisscrossing the ceiling. Their footsteps echoed down the 
long corridor.	A voice boomed a warning before they turned the 
next corner, "I did not send for anyone. You are not welcome. 
Why are you here?"
	Clio suddenly found her shyness creeping back, but steeled 
herself, "For Goliath!" she whispered to herself.
	"What was that?" the voice rumbled. He overheard her.
	She looked to the Fa'Seer.  He folder his arms across his 
chest saying, "It's all on you, girl."
	Clio took a deep breath, "Goliath.  He is a gargoyle 
that got caught up in Loremaster Maximillian's stories. He's 
dead and he shouldn't be."
	"A dead gargoyle is hardly my concern," the voice argued.
	"He was a good man . . er. . gargoyle.  He was a hero 
and a romantic, he loved and was loved. That counts for 
something. He doesn't deserve to die as part of some game." 
Hearing her echo, Clio was surprised how strongly she sounded.
	"What do you want me to do about it?" the voice sounded 
peeved.
	"Come now," Fa'Seer jumped in, "You can open the 
Orpheum Road. You know the tales about the other side. There 
is a chance, you can provide. If anyone can bring Goliath back, 
you can."
	"He may not want to come back," the voice pointed out.
	"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Clio said 
with some bravado.
	Silence, then a deep rumbling came from around the 
corner. It was a chuckle.
"You've got heart, Muse of Clio. I'll give you that. I'll 
help, but only in opening the road. You want Goliath back, 
you'll have to do it yourself. Take this."
	An elegant vial of yellow liquid appeared at Clio's feet. 
"Pour this down the gargoyle's throat. This will keep him from 
becoming all-dead. Then return here for the next step."
	Clio picked up the vial and faded back to New York. The 
caretaker waited for his instructions. "Fa'Seer, you know the 
stories needed, pull them from the Archive." The old man nodded 
and departed. "Fa'Seer," the voice boomed, "You know this might 
cost Clio her soul. Why did you bring her down here?"
	"She has remarkable potential. She's closer to the truth 
than anyone I've ever met. The risk is great, but so is the reward. 
Hopefully, she'll realize the truth in time."

	The sad scene changed little. Angela was crying into 
Broadway's chest and Brooklyn helped a completely devastated 
Hudson, who collapsed from grief. Singing wind chimes preceded 
Clio's arrival.  Fading back into the courtyard, she was all business, 
walking past the mourners.  She unstopped the vial with her teeth 
and poured the liquid down Goliath's throat.  The others looked 
on in uncomprehending silence. Elisa stopped crying, hope 
glistening in her tear-filled eyes. Could this be an elixir of life? 
Something to revive the one that she loved so deeply?  But any 
hope that Goliath would wake up, alive and well, died soundlessly 
on her lips.
	Clio stood up, preparing to leave, but seeing their questioning 
glances, felt she had to say something. "I can't explain everything 
right now, but we're trying something to bring Goliath back."
	Angela untangled herself from Broadway, "Bring him 
back? How?"
	"All I know is this will keep him from becoming all-dead. 
I'll get back to you as soon as I know more."  With that, Clio 
vanished again, leaving the clan caught in an emotional vacuum; 
daring to hope, but fearing despair. She said 'bring Goliath back,' 
didn't she. Each clanmember looked to the others hoping they 
knew more, but they were all in the dark on this one. Eventually, 
their gazes turned to Goliath hoping this wasn't the end.

	Clio returned to Scriptorium. Fa'Seer was waiting for her. 
She started for the stairway leading to the basement, but Fa'Seer 
shook his head. "First, you must study," the Fa'Seer handed her 
a stack of leather-bound books, "Those are orders; read these 
books, then go to him."
	"We don't have time for this," Clio protested.
	"If you want to save the gargoyle, make the time," Fa'Seer 
spoke sternly.
	Clio bit off the rest of her remarks.  She took the books, 
retiring to a reading room.  Opening the first tome, she began 
reading the complete story of Orpheus and Eurydice. She couldn't 
understand what was going on, but if this storycrafter knew a 
way to save Goliath, she'd do whatever was asked of her.

	Goliath flew through a orange tinted sky.  It reminded 
him of sunset, but he'd been here for hours and the sky hadn't 
changed.  Certainly not a sunset on Earth, then where?  He tried 
recalling the moments just before arriving here, but it was all 
one hazy void. Goliath continued gliding, his mind trying to 
cut through this cloud of forgetfulness.
	Suddenly a whoosh as a large body passed over his head. 
Goliath looked up and saw to his amazement, a dragon.  The 
dragon glistened like obsidian, gold-edged scales. Lustrous jet 
wings batted the air, keeping him level with the gargoyle. 
Goliath slowed to a hover, staring at the dragon.
	"You are Goliath," the voice, much deeper than 
Goliath's, rumbled.
	"I am," the gargoyle spied the dragon suspiciously.
	"I have a message for you: Don't die, loved ones are 
coming to bring you home." The dragon delivered his message.
	"Die?" That unlocked a door in Goliath's mind. He 
remembered Elisa crying, stones hurled at him.  He remembered 
falling forever, then flying here.
	"You are in the borderlands between the living world 
and the next. Forces will try to pull to trick you, but remember, 
now is not your time." With that the dragon took off, disappearing 
in the distance.  Goliath remained hovering. "What is happening 
to me?" he asked.  The empty void did not respond.

	Clio finished the last of the Underworld tales, Fa'Seer set 
before her.  They included, Orpheus, Persephone and Demeter, 
the Book of Anubis, various death and resurrection myths from 
around the world and excerpts from the Necronomicron. She 
returned them to Fa'Seer at the Circulation desk. He nodded 
and together they descended into the bowels of Scriptorium.
	This time, they weren't stopped as they approached.  
Clio turned the corner and nearly jumped out of her skin. Eyes 
closed in a what looked like a meditative pose, rested a dragon, 
a black and gold dragon. Fa'Seer steadied her, explaining 
"Bandjax is a Loremaster, of the highest degree in fact."
	"But I thought . . .", Clio began.
	"Dragons were myths," Bandjax smiled a big toothy 
grin, "That we are, but just because we're myths, doesn't mean 
we're not real. Now, have you studied the stories I've set upon you?"
	"I have." Clio said confidently, then her face clouded 
with questions, "What is this Orpheum Road, Fa'Seer mentioned?"
	"Then let us depart," the dragon avoided the question. 
Bandjax lifted his wings, enveloping Clio in a sphere of starlight.

	The dragon's arrival at Castle Wyvern was a shock on 
top of an already shocking night.  The trio and Hudson jumped 
into a defensive position in front of their fallen leader. Angela 
revived enough to join the boys. Elisa threw herself over Goliath, 
keeping the body from harm.
	"It's alright," Clio appeared from under the dragon's wing, 
"Bandjax is a friend. He's going to help us save Goliath."
	"Save Goliath? How?" Elisa shook off her melancholy, 
"Please if you can."
The dragon stretched out his neck until his head hovered above 
the dead gargoyle, "You're friend was slain by an object from 
a Loremaster correct?"
Angela nodded, following it with a "Yes, three stones."
Clio beat Elisa in asking, "What does that have to 
do with it?"
	"It means he's only *mostly* dead, that makes all the 
difference," the dragon explained, playing emphasis on 'mostly'.
	"Mostly dead?" Elisa, Angela and Clio questioned at the 
same time.
	"I thought Maxy boy taught you better," Bandjax shook 
his head, "There's a difference between *mostly* dead and 
*all* dead. *Mostly* means he's partly alive. As long as there's 
life, there's hope."
	"What does this have to do with being killed by a 
loremaster?" Angela asked.
Bandjax took on a lecturer's air, "Every Loremaster 
leaves a story open-ended, that's just good writing. It's just a 
matter of finding the right premise and you can start another 
story, with a different outcome."
"And that's what ye going to do?" Hudson asked. The 
dragon nodded.
"But I thought, once a story started, a storycrafter loses 
control of the outcome?" Clio asked.
"If a storycrafter remains outside the tale, yes. But not 
if you're in the story as a character."
	Clio pointed to herself.  The dragon nodded, "I'll open 
the Orpheum Road, but they'll need a guide through the netherworlds."
	"Ah, so that's why you had me read those books," Clio 
began to understand.
	"Yes, but I can't do this alone," the dragon turned to 
the Manhattan clan, "Will you help us save Goliath."
	Everyone shouted an affirmative. Even Fox and David 
answered the call to muster. Bandjax nodded in approval. He 
called Clio forward. "I'll need your story magic to do what's 
needed. You can't use it as a character, so it all works out.
	"I understand," Clio sighed.
	"Do you understand, you're not the hero in this story? 
There's no guarantee you'll live through this."
	Clio looked up, then nodded in understanding.  "Goliath 
was killed by one of us. I have to put it right." 
Bandjax laid a claw on top of her head. Her luminous 
body flowed up through her head into the dragon.  When the 
transfer was complete, Clio stumbled back a bit. Bandjax turned 
to the gargoyles.
	"You four," he looked at Hudson and the Trio, "circle 
around me in the four cardinal points." The gargoyles complied, 
finding positions; north, east, south and west of the dragon.
	Bandjax turned to David and Fox, "Come back at dawn. 
You'll need to take over when they turn to stone." The dragon 
reared back a bit to encompass everyone in his gaze, "Now, 
here's the deal:
I'll open the Orpheum Road to the Other Side. You have 
until sundown to find Goliath and bring him back. Once on the 
road, don't set foot off it. You'll lose your way and be lost forever.  
Don't eat or drink anything! And once you start back, DON'T 
LOOK BACK!!!
	"Now, Elisa and Angela are apart of this so they're needed 
to bring Goliath back."
	"What about Demona?" Angela asked, "She is a part of 
this too."
	Bandjax replied wryly to Angela's question, "She might 
be crucial, but we don't have time to search for her. Just have to 
hope for the best. Now, I need some silence."
	A low rumbling began building deep with Bandjax. It 
grew louder as it traveled up his long neck. Beneath his chin, 
a globe of light grew brighter.  He opened his maw, but instead 
of fire, light came forth. The light came in thick ropy strands 
that looped around, twining to a point. The dragon closed his 
mouth and turned to the gargoyles. "Focus your will on this 
spot. Just clear your minds of everything else and will it to enlarge."
	Each gargoyle closed their eyes, Hudson and Brooklyn's 
brows furrowed in concentration.  Slowly, the point grew larger.
The rate grew faster as if the portal feed on itself.  In the space 
of a few minutes, the space between the dragon and the women, 
flashed in white, silver, gray and black. A portal, six feet in diameter 
and finger thin, floated before them. Elisa looked to Clio and she to 
Angela.  They each nodded that they were ready. Elisa moved 
first, but Clio stopped her.  She took the first leap into the next 
world. Elisa jumped next, followed by Angela. To David, Fox 
and Bandjax, it looked like the plunged into an aquarium, water 
closing in around them. Once the liquid closed around them, they 
streaked further into its depths, vanishing completely.

	The three woman were in a nowhere. A place of orange 
clouds, with no up and no down.  Elisa immediately began 
sinking in the void. She let out a cry of shock before her foot 
touched on solid ground. A path extended from here onward 
to the horizon.
	"Stay on the path," Clio warned, "Remember step off 
the path and you will be forever lost."
	Elisa regained her balance. Looking up, she realized 
Angela hadn't landed yet.  There was no breeze in this void, 
but she still kept airborne. The gargoyle noticed this fact herself. 
"I guess this place as different physical rules than ours."
	"Worry about it later. We don't have a lot of time," Clio 
started down the path. The three woman began their search for 
the lost soul of Goliath.

	Demona sat on Tower 2 of the World Trade Center, crying. 
She sobbed for what seemed like hours.  Only in death did 
Demona realize how much Goliath meant to her. For a thousand 
years, she faced loneliness.  She'd done unspeakable things, 
out of hate, spite, and betrayal. But somehow, she felt safe. As 
long as Goliath existed, a part of her heart remained untouched 
by what she'd become.  Now he was gone and with it, her last 
shred of decency. It was a lost she never expected.
	A mean streak in her, reminded her of all the possibilities.  
Goliath was dead, now she could control the clan, or destroy 
them at her choosing.  Demona's grief strangled that voice. 
That voice did this to her, brought her joy during this ultimate 
pain.  She needed to see Goliath, to say good-bye. She leapt 
into an updraft, rising to the heights of the Eyrie building.

	"Are we there? Is this the underworld?" Elisa asked 
the apprentice storyteller.
	"One of them," Clio explained, "Death is part of every 
myth since humans first dreamt. And all things dreamt are true. 
That's our first obstacle. Which underworld is Goliath in? 
Hades? Tartarus? The Valley of the Dead? Valhalla? Heaven? 
Nirvana? Purgatory? Hel? There are more underworlds than 
stars in the sky, needle in a haystack doesn't begin to describe it."
	"So where do we begin?" Angela was champing at the bit.
	"For now, we follow the road. It winds through eternity, 
passing everything."
	"We don't have eternity," Elisa looked at her watch, 
"By my reckoning we've got fourteen hours. How can we 
search the entire universe?"
	"That's where you come in Elisa?" Clio continued a 
brisk stride.  The other two followed, "Love is like gravity, 
attracting two souls together. I'm hoping you really love Goliath. 
You'll be able to sense him, Angela too, homing straight to him. 
Just keep yourself open, love will provide." The three woman 
traveled down the empty road seeking Goliath.

	Goliath floated on windless currents of this strange 
place. After the dragon disappeared, the gargoyle was at a loss 
as to where to go or what to do. A high pitched wail reached 
his ears. Goliath spun around seeing five figures fast approaching. 
He could barely make them out, but they appeared to be women 
astride winged horses.
	"Run," a voice spoke directly to Goliath's soul, "They are 
valkyries. Run!"
	Goliath obeyed the disembodied voice, flying as fast as 
the sky allowed. Goliath remembered Norse myths. The valkyries 
searched for fallen warriors to take to Valhalla, whether they 
wanted to or not. The flying steeds closed the distance between 
them, rapidly. Goliath scanned to void desperate to find shelter.
	"You can not escape us warrior. You're coming with 
us to Valhalla," the lead valkyrie shrieked. Her beaten iron 
armor glistening in the half-lit world.
"Down there," the increasingly familiar voice directed 
Goliath.
	Looking down, he saw it; a shining castle spanning 
across several stone spires and columns. A blow landed squarely 
on his back. One of the mounts landed his hooves on the 
gargoyle. Not even thinking, Goliath folded his wings, diving 
for the structure.  The warrior maidens followed. Goliath never 
looked back, but he could feel the horses' fiery breath on his neck.
	His heart began despairing when suddenly the wailing 
became distant.  The hot breathing ceased.  Daring to look back, 
he saw the valkyries hold, a distance from the castle.  They 
shrieked their rage, their quarry denied. At length, the maidens 
departed.  Goliath breathed a sigh of relief, then continued 
into the castle.
	Goliath landed on the open balcony warily. Whatever 
scared the valkyries might not necessarily be a good thing. 
Cautiously, he peered into the shadows, then gasped a breath 
in surprise.  His face, a mask of amazement, as he stumbled 
back.  From the castle's interior emerged gargoyles, the 
gargoyles of Castle Wyvern.

	Demona peered over the parapets. It was a long climb 
from the Eyrie building, up the supports and up the castle walls. 
She wanted to make sure the coast was clear. Slinking over 
the battlements, across the walkway, Demona peered at the 
strange tableau below. She stared at the dragon. Its massive 
frame dominated the courtyard.  The clan sat in circle around 
the dragon. All of them appeared to be sleeping, or caught in 
some sort of trance.  On the other side of the yard, laid the 
body of her former love.  A glow filled the air above Goliath. 
Curiosity got the better of caution. Demona lighted down next 
to the body. She looked to see if the gargoyles or the dragon 
would move against her. Neither of them opened their eyes. 
Demona looked back at Goliath. Hesitantly, she reached out 
and touched his cooling flesh. She jerked her hand back  Tears 
welling up in her eyes. It didn't seem real until she touched him. 
She clutched the ground, her knees giving out from under her.

	"Demona!" Xanatos shouted before letting lose a blast 
from his wrist cannon. He was dressed in his crimson battle 
armor.  His digitized voice sounding colder than arctic ice.
	The female gargoyle ducked and rolled from the laser 
shot.  She sprung for the wall as Xanatos got off a second shot. 
Demona pushed off from the wall, gaining some air. She looked 
around for the gargoyles to attack, but they remained seated 
around the dragon. They remained in a trance. What was going 
on?
	That moment of speculation cost her. Xanatos hit her 
right wing. She came down on the steps leading to the battlements. 
She glared hatefully at Xanatos. The feeling was mutual as Xanatos 
regarded her with grim, smoldering anger.
	"You killed Goliath. What? Needed to dance on his bones 
as well?" Xanatos aimed and fired.
	"You mistake me for yourself, David," she hissed, "You 
wielded the sling."
	Demona jumped. Her opened wings extended her jump a 
couple yards, but the pain made her cry out. She landed next to 
Brooklyn, looking back to see if he'd attack.  When he didn't, she 
turned to Xanatos. He was closing in on her to make sure a stray 
shot didn't hit the dragon or the gargoyles.
	"I'm not a vengeful man, but for the pain you put us all 
through, I'll kill you," Xanatos said the last part with grim resolve.
	Demona stood up straight and began laughing. "I'm 
immortal you fool, or haven't you guessed.  You can shoot me 
a thousand times and I'll revive after every one."
	"True," Xanatos seemed to hesitate, "But can you survive 
in little pieces?" He retrained his laser on Demona.  The female 
gargoyle took a step back. Her eyes widening just a bit, realizing 
his intent. Fearing for herself, Demona looked for cover. She 
thought the portal could provide that smoke screen.  When she 
jumped through, she thought to land through the other side and 
onward to escape. Demona realized her mistake the instant she 
entered.  It closed around her like a cold mountain lake.  Suspended 
as she was, Demona couldn't turn back. The portal whisked her 
away, just as Xanatos shot after her, but the laser flashed in 
the gateway.
	Bandjax's eyes snapped open.  "Bad move," he said 
grimly.  The portal began to wink in and out, then vanishing 
all together. "Damn," the dragon grumbled.
	"Can you open the portal again?" Xanatos asked.
	"No," Bandjax stated.
	"So they're trapped," Xanatos grew irritated.
	"Unless they find another way out. They are."
	Dawn broke at that moment.  The gargoyles turning to 
stone, including Goliath.  Bandjax let out a plume of smoke. 
"If they're successful. Goliath will awaken with his clan. 
Otherwise, his body will become dust come next sunset. Let's 
hope Demona can improve their chances."
	"Demona?" Xanatos looked at the towering dragon.
	"Yes, she's part of this. I was counting on her arrival."
	"You might have thought to share that little tidbit with 
me before I started blasting her and the portal."
	"Then circumstances wouldn't force her on this path. 
Things happen for a reason. Sometimes trusting Fate is all we have."
	"I make my own Fate, thank you," Xanatos mumbled, 
"So what can we do to help Elisa and Angela."
	"We can wait and hope," the dragon stared at the prone 
statue of Goliath.

	"So this Loremaster Maximillian did all this to win a bet?" 
Elisa asked.  
 	Clio explained her master's part in all this, "Yes. The bet 
was to reform a villain with a fatal flaw."
 	"So how does killing Goliath achieve that?" Angela inquired.
	"There's still love in Demona. You know that Angela. 
Goliath's death would bring that to the fore, that was Max theorized."
	"How do you know some much about us?" Elisa asked, 
but Clio wasn't answering.
	The three women came to a bridge. Clio held up her 
hand, halting them. "The Chinvat Bridge," she whispered.  
Her eyes still on the bridge, she explained, "In Zoroasterism, 
this bridge decides if you're worthy to go on to paradise."
	Clio turned to the others. "In Zoroasterism, we're to 
wait four days meditating on the actions of our life. But we 
don't have time. Wait here."
	Clio stepped on the exact center of the bridge. Putting 
her weight on it, the sides swayed, teetering on a pivot point. 
Clio made it to the center of the bridge when an apparition 
materialized before her. It whispered something to Clio. Elisa 
and Angela strained to hear the conversation and watched eagerly.

	"I represent your good deeds," the ghost spoke to Clio, 
"It is not your time, go back to your life."
	"I'm sorry, but I need to save a friend of ours," Clio 
explained, continuing walking past the phantasm.
	The ghost vanished, but another appeared after Clio 
took three steps.  This phantasm was darker, uglier than the 
first. It's voice was loud and growled at the muse. 
 	"I represent your misdeeds. If you won't accept your 
good, we can go to hell."
	The spirit pounced on Clio, knocking her off her feet. 
The bridge began tilting on its pivot, spilling the two into a 
fiery pit. Elisa and Angela stood at the edge in shock.  Clio 
wrestled with her dark side while trying to regain her balance. 
Both fights, she was losing.
	The bridge tipped further, tumbling both into the inferno. 
Clio untangled herself from the dark ghost, but couldn't gain 
purchase on the bridge.  She was falling into the abyss when 
Angela grabbed the storyteller, bearing her upward. They landed 
on the far side of the bridge. Clio regaining her breath. 
	"Why is Angela still here?" Elisa shouted across the span.
	"Yes, I thought once I left the road, I'd lose my way?" 
Angela asked the storyteller. Clio was catching her breath and 
trying to come up with an answer. In a short while both came 
to her.
	"Bandjax said don't set foot *off* the road. You didn't," 
Clio pointed out, "You flew, but you didn't literally set foot 
off the road."
	Angela looked dubiously, but then shrugged, "Whatever 
works, works."  She then glided across the ravine to pick up 
Elisa, carrying her across.  The explanation seemed to satisfy 
the policewoman, though making use of this little fact was 
where its true value lied. That minor adventure behind them. 
The three continued down the Orpheum road.

	"How is this possible?" was all Goliath could say. He 
backed up to the railing of the balcony, but the gargoyles still 
approached.  There was no malice in their approach, unlike 
the caverns beneath Castle Wyvern. They were kind and smiling.
	"Welcome, leader. It has been a while," one said.
	"But we knew you had vital work to accomplish," the 
captain of the guard spoke up.  The gargoyles parted revealing 
the portly old solider.
	"Captain," Goliath was speechless.
	"Yes, I am," the captain smiled, "And you're Goliath. 
Now that we've got names out of the way perhaps we can move 
on to another subject."
	The jest was lost on Goliath who stared at everyone 
open-mouthed. The captain drew Goliath from the railing, 
"Careful, you might fall over."
	The other gargoyles hide smirks and grins at their 
awestruck leader, following him into the castle's interiors. 
The captain was extremely chatty, not at all like his strong 
silent type when they lived in Scotland. 
	"Now, I know you're not here for long. You still have 
much to do in the living world, but while you're here, rest 
and relax. Enjoy the time with your brothers and sisters."
	Goliath only nodded numbly.  The Captain turned to 
the others. Maintain the patrols around the castle, keep those 
warrior witches at bay and keep the Road open. Knowing the 
clan, someone's on their way to find you. Sorry Goliath, but 
I have to make sure everything's in place. Enjoy you're stay 
Goliath and for goodness sake, close your mouth. I swear an 
eagle can fly in there."
	The gargoyle did as he commanded. His mouth closing 
with an audible snap. The Captain departed humming a bawdy 
fighting song.  He seemed in the best spirits Goliath had ever 
seen the man.  Looking to his rookery siblings he could see 
the same. The old solider was right.  Whether this was a dream 
or reality, he might as well enjoy this time.

	Demona spun around several times looking for the portal 
or anyway out. She searched the citron sky, but found nothing.  
What trickery was Xanatos up to? Was her first thought, but this 
place looked vaguely familiar.  Something from a dream, a long 
forgotten. Orange sky, unending horizon, where had she seen 
all this before?
	She didn't have time to contemplate it.  A figure 
approached her, a gargoyle. Demona assumed it was Angela, 
but as the gargoyle neared its shape didn't lend itself to her 
daughter's curves. Instead it was blocky muscular, a male 
gargoyle. Demona sucked in a breath. The gargoyle wasn't 
flesh, but stone and it wasn't solid stone from slumber. This 
stone was cracked and fissured. Stone that had been shattered. 
This was a gargoyle from her clan.  The clan that served 
MacBeth and Moray.
	"Betrayed," he wailed, "I was betrayed." Demona 
backwinged to avoid ghost from the past, backing into a cloud 
bank  The gargoyle vanished in fog.  When it cleared again, 
she was surrounded by gargoyles and humans from Clan 
Moray.  Demona saw faces range from uncomprehending 
sorrow, like a dog that's kicked by it's master, to undisguised 
malice. The surrounded Demona filling her ears. Words like, 
'betrayer', 'traitor' rang in her ears.  "We trusted you" came 
in voices filled with hurt.  It threatened to drown Demona. She 
covered her ears and screamed.
	A hand touched her shoulder. Demona looked up seeing 
a older black man.  He was dressed like a gargoyle, wearing a 
loincloth, nothing more, save a pouch around his neck.  His 
face painted with yellow, brown and ochre designs.  What put 
Demona at ease was the serenity of the man. He wore peace 
around him like a cloak. Most importantly, he chased the 
ghosts away.
	"Who are you?" she asked.
	"A guide through the Dreamtime," the Shauman answered, 
"You've come to Walkabout?"
	"No, I'm here by accident," Demona noticed that while 
she was still flying, the Shauman stood midair like it was solid 
ground. "How do I get out of here?" she demanded.
	"Go on the walkabout," the Shauman persisted, "Start 
walking in a straight line, when you meet yourself on the walkabout, 
you will leave the Dreamtime."
	"How do I get to this dreamtime?"
	"You are already there," the Shauman answered and 
then vanished.
	Demona stared for a long time at the space the Shauman 
occupied. The faint wailing of her personal demons spurred her 
on. At any other time or place she'd scoff at such new age 
psychobabble, she's a warrior not a counselor. Here and now, 
however, this was the only option left to her. She flew on in a 
straight line.

	"How do you know so much about us?" Elisa asked 
again. The road ran straight through an empty land. Nothing 
to do, might as well strike up a conversation.
	"It's in the Chronicles of Goliath," Clio answered.
	"But Goliath hasn't written any chronicles."
	"Not on paper, but he has in his heart." Clio went on to 
explained, "It's a trade secret, so don't tell anyone. One's life 
is a story. Goliath's life is a special one. He's a strong soul 
and a pure heart. His stories are especially noble. He's quite 
the cult classic in Scriptorium."
	"So what has his heart have to say about us?" Elisa 
tried sounding nonchalant, but not succeeding.
	"He wanted you to kiss him for the longest time," Clio 
answered an embarrassed Elisa. The apprentice continued, 
"Truth, I'd like to see him live to put his adventures into words."
	The storyteller ceased her conversation as they approached 
the ruins of a port town. Elisa and Angela moved in closer, 
keeping their eyes open as they entered the row of buildings 
flanking the road.  The town was deserted.  The shops and 
buildings looked emptied for a thousand years or more.
	"What is this place?" Angela asked.
	"I don't know," Clio responded. Her eyes went up the 
road to where it dipping into a river.  The waters were smooth 
like a pane of glass. No telling what lie beneath its surface.
	A howl rose up sounded like it came from all around them. 
Elisa and Angela were immediately reminded of Bronx.  The 
howl had that same sorrowful quality.  Clio's face flashed 
with recognition, then worry. "Cereberus," she breathed.
	"Trouble again?" Elisa asked wryly.
	Clio nodded, "This must be the necropolis near the 
River Styx, Greek mythology! Cereberus is Hades guard dog. 
We've got to move!"
	They sprinted for the water's edge when a furry mass 
exploded from a nearby warehouse.  Cereberus was all fang 
and fur. Three heads slobbered and snapped at the three 
woman. The girls scattered.  Each head following one quarry, 
quickly confused as to which to pursue first.  Clio jumped 
behind a barrel. Lying not far away was a pole, grabbing a 
stick she started banging on the cask, getting Cereberus' 
attention.
	Elisa caught a hint of her plan, doing the same on the 
opposite side of the street. The hell hound remained indecisive, 
the outer heads snapping at the woman trying to pursue.  Angela 
searched for something to capture the beast.  She found some 
fishing nets left on a rack. Grabbing one, she climbed the nearest 
building. She spotted Cereberus and flung the net, ensnaring 
their game.  At least that was the plan, but Cereberus made up 
his minds.  He chased after Elisa.
	The policewoman scrambled to her feet, running into a 
shed. That didn't stop the devil hound, he hurtled into the wooden 
planking like it were straw. Elisa quickly jumped out of the 
shed, ahead of the slightly dazed hound.
	"Hey, hell hound!" Clio shouted, waving her arms, in 
one was the pole.  She brandished it like a staff, "You want a 
piece of me! Come on!"
	That was all the encouragement Cereberus needed.  
He charged the lithe young storyteller, all three maws chomping. 
Clio held her ground. Cereberus made a final bounding leap 
before he pounced.  Clio planted the pole in the ground and 
vaulted over the dog, doing a half flip in midair.  Cereberus 
was in flight unable to stop.  He flew through the air straight 
into a fishermen's mending rack. Cereberus crashed into the 
side of the building tangling himself in the tight nets. The 
hound of Hades thrashed for a bit, only tangling himself further.
Cereberus was subdued.
	Clio looked at the results, comprehending what she just 
did and quickly sank to her knees.  When Elisa and Angela 
came to her aid, she waved them off, saying she was fine. Just 
needed to catch her breath. Thinking back on it, that was rather 
stimulating. "Let's get moving before Cereberus breaks free." 
Clio suggested, the other women agreed.
	"Most impressive, I've never seen anyone handle my pet 
so well," a man clad in black robes popped out of nowhere, 
"Of course, we haven't had a visitor here in quiet some time."
	"Hades," Clio spoke with awe.
	"You're Clio, right. Bandjax told me you might be stopping 
by," spoke the Greek lord of the dead, "I knew your namesake. 
She was a bit of a spitfire too, a welcome change from those 
pensive muses."
	"Bandjax, the dragon?" Angela examined the god.
	"Yes, black dragon, gold-trim. I owe him a favor and 
now I'm making good on it," Hades continued, "You're searching 
for a gargoyle named Goliath. He's at the Castle."
	"The Castle?" Elisa questioned.
	"The gargoyles' heaven," Hades replied, "You can't 
reach him."
	"What do you mean?" Angela asked.
	"Why not?" Elisa challenged, dismay on her face, 
"You can't stop us."
	Hades chuckled, "I wouldn't dream of stopping you. But 
if Goliath wants to live, he'll have to come to you on his own. 
There's a lot to do and you only have a few hours.  Now, you 
have to move."
	"Where are we going?" Clio asked.
	"The Egyptian Underworld," Hades answered, "I believe 
Anubis know you, two."
	Elisa and Angela looked at each other and nodded. 
Hades lifted his voice. "Charon! These three ladies need a ride."
	"Do they have fare?" a ferryman slide to shore on a skiff.
	"Charon? Take them across the river." Hades leaned to 
Clio, "He's like Cereberus, growls a lot, but needs the exercise. 
Who knows, he might even be grateful."
	The last he said loud enough for the ferryman to overhear.  
Charon wouldn't dream of going against his lord. Gruffly, he 
ordered the woman aboard."
	"To the Black Nile, Charon," Hades waved the girls on, 
"Fortune be with you."
	Charon poled the skiff onto the swift running river. 
Vanishing in the mists.

	Goliath couldn't wipe the grin off his face. It was like 
coming home after a long journey. He waved to old friends, 
swapped jokes told a hundred times before.  The Castle was 
not unlike Wyvern, save their was no rookery and the view let 
out to deepsky instead of open sea. Goliath felt he should tell 
them everything about the past thousand years, but they didn't 
seem interested.
	"Life is for the living," a gray rookerybrother explained, 
"We hear your thoughts whenever you think of us, but the events 
that transpire are no longer our concern."
	So Goliath wandered the castle, reacquainting himself 
with clansmen long gone. Now, he crossed the walkway 
overlooking the road, when he saw a single figure approach.  The 
other gargoyles clustered on the battlements, facing the potential 
danger.  Goliath recognized the stranger.  Her jeans and leather 
jacket were unmistakable. It was Elisa.
	"Elisa, what are you doing here," Goliath embraced the 
woman as soon as she entered the Castle.
	"Looking for you," Elisa smiled back, "We've found a 
way to bring you back, but we have to move.  We don't have time."
	Goliath looked longingly to his clan.  He wanted to spend 
more time with his clan, but remembered the dragons words, 
'He needed to live'.  He nodded and followed Elisa down the 
road.  The other gargoyles waved farewell to their leader, sure 
they'd see him again. Goliath gave one last look, taking the who 
clan in.  They were at peace and this buoyed his spirit more than 
anything in his life. At last, he was ready to go.
	Goliath and Elisa left down the Orpheum Road.  The couple 
was out of sight of the Castle, when Elisa stopped.  She turned, 
facing Goliath. "Oh Goliath, you are so strong, so brave . . ." her 
voice suddenly deepened to a man's register, ". . . so foolish."
	Goliath opened his wings in alarm. Elisa shifted into a 
laughing Hakon. He continued laughing as he was drowned out 
by the wailing of the valkyries. Goliath remembered the second 
part of the dragon's warning, 'forces will try to trick you'.  He 
shoved past the Viking, trying a break for the castle.  The warrior 
maidens dropped from the sky, landing between him and the 
castle, blocking his escape. 
	"There's no escape, Goliath," Hakon laughed, "The 
valkyries will drag you to Valhalla and I get to see you separated 
from all you know and love."
	Goliath sprung to the air. He flew as hard as he could, but 
he was never a match for the winged steeds. The valkyries roped 
the gargoyle, cheering that they're quarry was there's.  Goliath 
strained against the bonds, but they wouldn't give.  He roared his 
rage, eyes glowing bright, but all he saw was hooves and wings 
and all he heard was wailing and Hakon's laughter. Suddenly, a 
thunderclap rent the air.  A lightning danced around the group 
of valkyries, upsetting the horses. An errant blast struck the ropes 
holding Goliath.
	The gargoyle surged free, opening his wings flying through 
the storm. Goliath emerged from the storm clouds surrounding the 
valkyries.  Turning back, he saw cumulus light up with flashes, 
giving the valkyries a roasting.  At last, the valkyries fled, leaving 
as fast as their wings could carry them.  Goliath watched as the 
storm clouds roiled and formed.  The thunderheads formed into 
a human shape.  The clouds resolved into the Magus.
	"Magus," Goliath cried. Now, he remembered the voice 
that first warned him of the valkyries. It was the Magus. "You've 
been watching over me?"
	"Of course," the Magus smiled.

	Clio, Angela and Elisa floated along the Black Nile, the 
Egyptian river that flowed through the underworld.  Clio moved 
to the aft of the skiff to talk to Charon.  Elisa joined Angela at 
the prow.
	"Sort of reminiscent of Avalon," Elisa commented.  
	"I was thinking the same thing," Angela continued looking 
wistfully out on the river, "Do you think we can save Goliath?"
	"Of course," Elisa reassured her friend, "We helped 
save Anubis, he owes us one."
	"Yes, but he also said that he doesn't play favorites. 
And what if Goliath doesn't meet us there? I don't like to think 
this way, but I don't think my father's coming back to us."
	Elisa patted Angela's shoulder, then hugged her, "Listen 
to me Angela. Since I've known your father, I've seen him do 
some amazing things. He's survived a thousand years in stone, 
dealt with and befriended industrial billionaires, fought Oberon 
twice, not to mention a whole slew of his Children, he's even 
tangled with Fate. Goliath is a fighter, he'll fight to live. And 
we've got to be ready to bring him home."
	Angela felt bolstered by this. A smile spread across her 
lips as she said, "Thank you, Elisa."  Elisa could have thanked 
Angela.  She felt those same doubts, but convincing Angela 
convinced herself as well.

	Clio tentatively approached the grumpy ferryman. Since 
boarding the raft, a question burned on her lips. She wanted to 
ask. After subduing Cerberus and fight her demons on the bridge, 
she saw her shyness as a bit silly now. 
	"Hades said he owed a storyteller, Bandjax, a favor. Do 
you know what it was?" Clio blurted out. 
	Charon remained silent. He kept poling the water, ignoring 
her, but at last he answered. "Bandjax promised Hades 
immortality," Charon answered.
	"Hades is a god, more than that a god of the underworld. 
How could he promise immortality?"
	"Immortality isn't about living forever," Charon explained 
gruffly, "It's about being remembered. It's about making a 
difference in the hearts of those around you. When Orpheus first 
came down to the river, Hades didn't want to release Eurydice. 
Bandjax appeared and told him that if he released her, the story 
would be told for thousands of years. Hades has been in the hearts 
and minds of people since then, when other goods have vanished.  
Few remember Bacchus or Janus, Demeter or Hermes. Even 
mighty Poseidon, vengeful Hera and lustful Zeus are gone, but 
Hades remains. Bandjax told the story and others followed, 
keeping Hades alive in the minds of people for two thousand 
years. Bandjax kept his word."
	"Where did the gods go?" Clio asked.
	"Only they know," Charon commented wistfully with 
a hint of bitterness, "I wish I could join them. It's so tiresome 
waiting on the distant shore.  We're here!" Charon's skiff rocked 
into the docking pier in front of a temple.
	"This is the Temple of Judgement," Charon grumbled, 
"The Egyptian underworld is through there."
	Elisa and Angela disembarked first. Clio stopped before 
climbing out of the boat. "Elisa, do you have a couple of quarters?"
	The policewoman dug into her pockets and pulled out 
fifty cents. Clio took it and handed it to Charon. "Thank you for 
the passage," she said. The dour ferryman's face brightened has 
the two silver coins graced his palm. He looked up and Clio 
actually saw him smile.  It was a cracked smile on a face not 
used to the action, but the payment certainly improved his 
disposition.
	"Good luck," Charon waved to them as he trawled 
upriver, vanishing into the mist.
	Clio turned to her companions. "What time do you have?"
	"One in the afternoon," Elisa frowned looking at her 
watch, "So what do we do here?"
	"You follow me," a breezy voice made all three woman 
turn around.  It was a man or at least the body of a man.  His 
head resembled a dog, not a jackal's head like Anubis. It was 
more like a German shepherd, collie mix.
"I will be your psychopomp while you are here," the dog man 
introduced himself.
	"A psychopomp?" Angela tested the word.
	"A conductor of souls," Clio explained. 
	"Come, Lord Anubis awaits."
	Just then the river exploded in a plume of foam. An 
enormous serpent emerged from the water.  Head and body 
towering over the four assembled on the docks.
	"Radiant souls to fill my belly," the serpent hissed. 
Saliva wetting it's mouth in bright green colors.
	"Serpent of Seth," the dogman held up its arms 
commanding the snakes attention, "Lord Anubis has granted 
these three safe passage. They are not for you."
	"You think I fear that mangy scavenger," the serpent 
darted for the psychopomp with lightning speed. The dogman 
dodged the biting jaws, narrowly escaping.
	Elisa and Angela looked at each other and went into 
action. "Just once, I'd like to go someplace, where monsters 
aren't trying to kill us."  Elisa shouted. Angela nodded agreement. 
She looked behind her and saw Clio rooted to the ground.
	Angela ran back to the storyteller and saw her teeth 
chatter and her hands shaking.  Angela asked what was wrong, 
but saw it in Clio's wide eyes, heard it through her chattering 
teeth, "Snakes!"  She was afraid, deathly afraid of snakes.
	The serpent in question arched around glaring at 
gargoyle and storyteller hungrily. He dove for them, when 
a stinging pricked his hide.  Elisa fired a couple of shots, to 
no avail. "Bulletproof!" Elisa sneered disgustedly, "Wouldn't 
*do* to kill it with a .48 slug."
	The snake was distracted enough for Angela to carry 
a paralyzed Clio out of the monster's path. It's dinner denied 
the serpent looked to vent his rage on Elisa. 
	"The serpent is a creature of night. Only light can harm 
it." The dogman shouted to Elisa.
 	The policewoman darted for the towering columns of 
the temple. She heard the psychopomp's words, but didn't 
know how it would do here a whit of good. If the serpent were 
a giant spider or a one-eyed polar bear, she'd be safe. The 
stone columns allowed enough space for one person to pass 
through. Shoulders on this monster would have stopped him, 
but the snakes slender body permitted him to slide after her. 
Elisa dived, avoiding the serpent's fangs.  The snake wouldn't 
give up.
 	Elisa got back to her feet an idea forming.  The snake 
lunged at her again. She tucked and rolled, letting the serpent 
smash headlong into the column. The snake shook it's head, 
scanning for the woman.  Elisa stood laughing at the monster.  
The snake's eyeslits glowed a menacing red. "Mock me will 
you," the serpent growled, "I'll eat you alive for such 
impertinence."
	"You have to catch me first," Elisa challenged, but 
bolted as the snake gave chase.  Elisa ran straight through the 
colonnade, diving to the left, feeling the snake on her back. 
The serpent followed it's quarry. She made another left.  It 
wasn't until Elisa hopped over it's own body, that the serpent 
saw the trap. Elisa tied him up in the Temple's numerous rows 
of columns. The snake couldn't follow Elisa past it's body. 
It's long body tangled among the stone pillars.
	Elisa didn't stop to admire her handiwork. She ran 
out of the temple, where the dogman and Angela were turning 
over barrels. She cast them a questioning glance. "Pitch," the 
dogman replied. 'Fire,' Elisa's mind snapped to the conclusion. 
A creature of darkness fears light.
	The serpent of Seth withdrew himself from the Temple 
rapidly. In a few seconds he'd be free. All the barrels were 
spilled, now to light them.  Elisa drew her revolver, aimed it 
low and fired.  The bullet skipped once on the oilslick, igniting 
the pitch. A cheery fire awaited the serpent when it withdrew 
it's head. The fire didn't mark it's scales.  It wasn't the heat 
that effected it, rather the brightness. The serpent howled painfully.  
It thrashed it's head a couple of times before diving below the 
waves. The four watched the surface for it to emerge again. It 
did not.
	"Well done, Elisa," Angela commented, "Where did 
you come up with that idea?"
	"Saw it on a cartoon a couple of times. Good thing 
they don't get TV in the underworld." Elisa answered blithely. 
She turned her attention to Clio, "You alright?"
	Clio kept her eyes on the river. The wave tops lit by the 
lambent light from the fire. "Yeah, I'm all right. Sorry about 
freezing up back there."
	"Forget, you should see me with spiders," Elisa offered 
her hand to the storyteller. Clio took it and joined the others.  
The psychopomp took up the lead, guiding the others past the 
fire into the Temple of Judgement.
	Elisa didn't notice it before, running from the serpent, 
but the Temple looked remarkably like the Temple of Karnak 
in Egypt.  Her mother showed her pictures of it when she was 
in Africa. Stone columns filled the front of the temple. Sunken 
in back was the entrance to the temple complex. The dogman 
and three women entered the Temple to meet Anubis.

	Demona thought this was ridiculous. But then what 
can you expect of a human. "Travel in a straight line," she 
sneered, "So much human nonsense."
	She had followed the shauman's advice because she 
had no idea where she was or how to get out. Now hours later, 
she grew suspicion of the medicine man's words. He had no 
reason to help her and every reason to deceive her.  Demona 
was about to veer off course when the world shifted around her.
	Her surroundings became fluid like paint in a river. 
Streaks of reality washed away, turning into something else. 
Demona halted as the changes took place. She hovered and 
then she was on solid ground.  The sky turned from red-tinted 
amber to steely blue.  The air she flew through was suddenly 
an empty field, a battlefield.
	There was no vegetation on the plain, save brown grass. 
Hills flanked the sides only to focus the battle in the center. 
Demona remembered a thousand such fields from the millenium 
of life. On the opposing hilltop stood a lone figure. He wore 
a hooded cloak and dark clothes, obscuring his identity.  When 
he approached, it was with drawn sword and malicious intent.
	Forgetting, for the moment, the strangeness that came 
before, Demona approached stranger. They were within a 
hundred paces and Demona recognized the three red stripes 
across the mask, a Hunter. Demona's eyes flared red in battle 
rage.  She pounced on the Hunter. The battle was joined.

	"Why are the valkyries after me?" Goliath asked the 
Magus in mid-flight.
"The valkyries usually escort brave warriors to Valhalla," the 
gray hair wizard explained, "But you are a special case."
	"Why?" Goliath asked again, "I'm not a Norseman."
	"You are a blood pure warrior," the Magus point his 
staff at the gargoyle.
	"Blood pure?"
	"Think back Goliath. Have you ever killed anyone? In 
cold blood or in the heat of battle?"
	Goliath tried recalling one instance where he took a life. 
Elisa stayed his hand from killing John and Jason Canmore also 
from dropping Xanatos off the castle. Hakon and the captain of 
the guard fell to their deaths. Even the Viking raid on Wyvern, 
he tossed the invaders off the battlements, but they all got up 
and fled.  Looking back, Goliath had never taken a life. Something 
to be proud of.
	"The valkyries sense your innocence, the strength in 
your soul.  They want it for their own so they gave chase.  We 
must get you to safety before they return in force." The magus 
glided to back to the castle.
	Goliath started follow then halted. "If I return, the 
valkyries might attack."
	"They might," the Magus answered noncommittally.
	Goliath recalled the peaceful faces of his clan and 
remembered the dragon's words, "Love ones are coming to 
bring you home."  The Magus knew his decision before Goliath 
voiced them.
	"I can't return to the clan," Goliath stated, "I must find 
my friends and return to the living world."
	"A wise choice," the Magus smiled understanding, "Take 
with you these bits of advice. One, that this is a place of souls 
and wills. Your spirit is stronger than most, even the valkyries 
know that. You're strong enough to defeat them without help. 
The power is within you. Two, follow you're heart. Your heart 
will take where you truly need to be. Heed my words.  No 
offense, but I hope we do not meet again for a long time. The 
world needs more like you and you, Goliath, have the ability 
to see that possible. Now go. Go and live."
	The Magus flattened out into cirrus clouds and vanished 
with the wind. Goliath remained speechless for several moments. 
He felt joy, sadness, understanding, confusion. The sensation was 
both wonderful and frightening at the same time. His clan was at 
peace, the Magus and the Captain shared their existence with them. 
Dying had given him a peace of mind. A gift highly prized by 
the gargoyle. He took a deep breath and flew on, following his 
heart.

	After an hour of fighting, Demona only learned two 
things of her adversary. First that the Hunter was a woman. 
She ripped the cape off in a lunge and noted the curves of a 
woman rather than the stock and stance of a man.  Secondly, 
this hunter was the most formidable foe she ever fought.  Every 
move was anticipated, every tactic countered. It was impossible 
to get the upper hand.
	This Hunter was silent. She goaded Demona, but through 
gestures not words. Occasionally, the rational part of her mind, 
warned Demona not to fight. 'You don't when dawn arrives, 
here,' it warned. 'This isn't the time to do battle' it pleaded.  
But Demona continued the fight.  This was familiar to her, this 
is what she knew.  And once defeated, she wring some answers 
from the Hunter before she ripped out her throat.
	As if answering her unspoken wish, the Hunter left 
herself open. The Hunter made a downward slice with her sword. 
Demona threw herself to the ground avoiding the cut. The Hunter 
was carried over by the weight of the sword, leaning off-balance 
on one foot. Demona made a breakdancing spin with her tail 
sweeping the Hunter off her feet. Demona pinned the Hunter's 
shoulders to the ground as she tore the mask none-to-gently off 
her head. Demona was shocked and horrified. The Hunter was 
Demona.
	The blue skin and red hair were unmistakably Demona's. 
She was clad in the Hunter's, wings and tail hidden from view.  
That's what shocked her. What put such a fright in her was this 
Demona wasn't a mirror reflection of her. The hard planes of her 
face were soft curves on the Hunter.  The mane of hair wasn't as 
long as Demona's. Truly, now lined up, the Hunter looked half a 
hand shorter than the gargoyle.  This Hunter was a younger 
Demona, like the one she meet in 974 AD on her failed trip 
through the Phoenix Gate.
	"Well, what are you waiting for," the Hunter Demona 
shouted, "Finish it!"
	"What sorcery is this?" Demona breathed.
	"No sorcery, no tricks, no lies," the Hunter slipped out 
from under Demona, "You can't lie here."
	Demona put this rule to the test.  She thought to say, 'I 
love David Xanatos', but it came out "I loathe David Xanatos." 
Demona was shocked again. The Hunter Demona chuckled.
	"No self-delusions here," the Hunter found her sword, 
but didn't sheath it, "You can't shift the blame on humans this 
time."
	"What is the meaning of this?"
	"It's a reckoning," her Hunter-self explained, "For a 
thousand years, you've dragged me through this sorry existence, 
because you won't take responsibility for you're actions. And 
I'm tired of it!"
	'I don't know what you're talking about,' was on her lips, 
but veracity changed it to "I know what you're talking about."
	The Hunter continued, ignoring Demona's comment, "I 
didn't save MacBeth and Gruoch from falling off Castle Moray, 
just so you could betray them 40 years later. I didn't plan with 
Xanatos to wake Goliath and the others just to blow them away 
two nights later! Those few good deeds you've done in this 
existence, that was me. And time after time you destroy what 
little happiness there is because you're a coward!"
	"I am not!" Demona lunged, eyes glowing with.  The 
Hunter neatly sidestepped her, letting Demona crash into the 
ground. 
	"What about the massacre?" Hunter-Demona pressed, 
"Why did you stop me from telling Goliath or our brothers and 
sisters? I might have gone along back then, ordered the clan to 
hide in the cliffs like you did. Instead of only saving your hide.
Sure, you're no coward."
	Demona raged again, this time the Hunter didn't dodge, 
she landed a clawed foot straight to Demona's midsection.  The 
air was knocked out of her in a whoosh. The Hunter stood over 
the doubled over Demona.
	"You have spent a thousand years covering up your 
shortcomings. You know, you don't deserved a love like Goliath's.  
I'm almost glad he's in love with Elisa. Every moment of happiness 
you two could have shared, wasted on futile plans to destroy 
humanity. Well I won't let that happen with our daughter and I 
won't let your cowardice jeopardize her life."
	The Hunter knocked Demona down with the butt of her 
sword.  Demona collapsed on the ground and stared fearfully up 
at her younger self held the sword high for the death blow.

	Goliath was confused.  He followed the Magus's advice, 
following his heart, but now his heart lead in two different 
directions. A strong tug pulled his heart to the right, down the 
Valley of the Dead.  A second, weaker, attraction plied him to 
left past the Garden of Delights.  He weighed each pull equally. 
The strong pull he could find again, but the weaker one was 
fading. He might not find it again. Goliath choose the love less 
taken.
	He appeared on the field as the Hunter brought her 
sword down on Demona's head. Faster the eye could register, 
Goliath dove for Demona put his body in the sword's path.  
The Hunter halted.
	"Don't go Pocahontas on me, Goliath," the Hunter said, 
her sword poised above the two. 
	Goliath looked up and shocked to see it was Demona. 
He looked at the gargoyle he protected, it was Demona too. The 
sheltered Demona still looked dazed.  She stared uncomprehendingly 
into Goliath's eyes. 
	"What is this?" he asked.
	"The one you protect is Demona. I am your Angel of 
the Night," Hunter-Demona pleaded, "Please Goliath, let me 
finish this. If I slay her, then she'll never threaten you, our 
daughter, Elisa, anyone ever again. It's the only way."
	"No!" Goliath argued.
	"She sold out the clan to Vikings. She abandoned our 
children.  She has betrayed everyone and everything we've 
care about over and over again. I know you won't pass judgement 
on her, but I can. I am her!"
	"Then spare her, not for her sake or mine, but for your 
own," Goliath held Hunter-Demona's sword hand in an easy, 
almost caressing grip, "Don't let your guilt force you to do this."
	"My guilt?"
	"If must have been hard to see all these things and be 
powerless to stop them. Don't beat yourself because of this. 
Self-hate is the worst hatred you can know."
	The Hunter stared into Goliath's eyes, until tears started 
to flow. The sword fell from her grip wit a clatter. Goliath heard 
sniffling behind him. The other Demona was weeping as well.
 	The Hunter kept her steady voice despite her tears, "She's 
still a threat. She'll try again and again to destroy you and 
humanity. And she might succeed one of these days."
 	"Then you will stop her," Goliath spoke confidently, 
"I've seen you. When you released us from Thailog's prison. 
I knew there was some good still within you. You've grown 
stronger than your hate. You can stop her."
	"I can stop her hate," the Hunter whispered softly. "I 
can stop her hate," she said again this time more forcefully. 
"I will stop her hate!" she vowed.
	The Hunter picked the fallen Demona up to her feet. 
"Things are going to be different from now on. I'm keeping 
you in check."  The Hunter then hugged Demona tightly.  A 
flash of light followed, when Goliath could see again, only 
one Demona, the one without Hunter's garb, remained.

	"Hey, dogface, where's Anubis?" Elisa asked grumpily. 
By her watch it was twenty minutes to six, nearly sundown. 
She'd been up for the past thirty-five hours and was looking 
frayed at the edges. 
	"I am here," spoke the jackal god in languid tones, "I 
did not think to see you again until your time came."
	"We've come to ask for your help," Angela spoke before 
Elisa could reply. Last thing they needed was to piss off a god 
of the underworld. Elisa crossed her arms across her chest. 
"You remember how Goliath helped restore you from Jackal. 
We ask that you help restore Goliath to life."
	"You know full well that death can not play favorites. 
I may owe Goliath, but don't break the rules to pay my debts."
	"You don't have to break anything," Clio argued, 
"Goliath isn't completely dead. His spirit wanders the borderlands. 
All we're asking is for you to provide an exit."
	Anubis thought about this for a minute. "Come with me," 
he lead the way deeper into the temple. Without preamble, he 
explained his situation, "Those who enter my domain must have 
their hearts weighed. Those who make weight go to their great 
reward, those who don't . . " He left it hanging.
	". . .getting eaten by an Ibis," Clio finished.  Anubis 
turned around, regarding the storyteller with something akin 
to admiration. 
	"Yes. But there is one possibility. If the scales balance, 
then that life must return to the living."
	"Sort of a cosmic do-over," Elisa placing it all in context, 
"So how do we rig the scales?"
	"You don't," Anubis answered crossly, "This is the 
order of the universe, tampering with it courts disaster. Only an 
equal weight can balance the scales."
	The four entered a vast chamber.  Friezes and hieroglyphics 
covering the walls and ceilings, in the center stood the scale. 
It was a long beam.  On one end, a glowing hawk's feather 
spun on its steam. The other end was empty. At the moment, 
the pans balanced even. 
	"When a heart is weighted all its good lifts the pan, all 
its evil lowers the pan," Anubis explained.
	"Weighted against that tiny feather?  I bet all don't make 
weight." Elisa commented.
	"That is the feather of truth," Anubis continued his 
tutorial, "You must balance against that."
	"Oh no," Clio shook her head.  Anubis nodded, at least 
one had come to his conclusion.
	"Care to share with the rest of class?" Elisa asked with a 
sarcastic edge that Clio ignored.
	"In order to balance the scales, we need equal parts good 
*and* evil. Both of you are heroes, same with Goliath, not much 
evil to balance with. I've spent my life studying, not much chance 
of doing evil. We need a villain or an equal amount evil otherwise 
this won't work."
	"That description fits me to a 'T'" Demona's voice echoed 
through the chamber.
	All turned around to see her and Goliath in the entrance 
portal.  Goliath physically brightened seeing, Elisa and Angela. He 
rushed to them, embracing them heartily. Demona watched the 
touching scene with wistful sadness.
	"Sorry to break this up, but if you don't want Goliath 
becoming a permanent resident here, we've got to move.  Demona, 
please tell me you're here to help."
	"Yes," Demona nodded, then added, "Anything to get out 
of this crazy place."
	"Great, Angela you'll be the good weight," Clio took charge.
	Goliath and Elisa both became very defensive, "Will she 
be all right?" "Why does she have to be weighted?" They 
respectively asked.
	"Angela is the purest among us," Clio answered, "She's 
the only one to offset all of Demona's evil."
	Demona looked indignant at the comment, then hung her 
head in silent resignation. "What do I have to do?" she asked.  
Anubis pointed to the steps leading to the beam's far end. Mother 
and daughter climbed the stairs, poised over the scale.
	"Where's the pan?" Angela asked.  Anubis tapped a small 
pip on the beam.
	"That's where we need to stand?" Demona shouted 
disbelieving, "It's no bigger than a pin head."
	"Plenty of room for dancing?" Clio murmured to herself.
	"An angel and a demon dancing on the head of pin," 
Elisa followed Clio's thinking.
	Angela and Demona took a deep breath and jumped 
for the beam.  The pin suddenly widened to a pan large enough 
to support the two gargoyles.  The beam lowered an inch, then 
rose.  The scale teetered up and down two more times before 
settling at equilibrium. Below the scale, a portal of light grew 
wide.
	Anubis nodded, "It leads to the living world. Hurry, 
sunset is nearly upon you."
	Goliath leapt into the light. Elisa hesitated, looking 
up to Angela and Demona. How are she going to make it? It 
wasn't until then that Elisa noticed Clio.  The story climbed 
the steps with slow grim determination.
	She didn't know if this would work, but she had to 
try.  Anubis said, "Only an equal weight can balance the scales." 
Equal parts of good and evil does the job, but there's another 
quantity. She was on the landing overlooking the scales.  
Demona and Angela were arguing.
	"Go daughter, this isn't your time." Demona urged 
her daughter.
	"I won't leave you, mother," Angela argued just as 
vehemently.
	"I've live my life ten times over. Go!" Demona pushed 
her child toward the edge of the pan.
	"And watch you get eaten by a bird. No!" Angela pushed 
back. At this rate they'd never leave the scales. 
	Clio understood and it filled her with a sense of calm.  
She jumped landing squarely between the two woman. The pan 
shrunk to accommodate on Clio, dropping the two gargoyles 
on the outer edges. The scale began to dip. The portal dimmed 
in kind. Demona took advantage of the confusion.  She grabbed 
her daughter, forcing her through the portal.  Before she passed 
completely through the portal, Angela grabbed her mother's 
arms, pulling Demona with her.
	The scale began rising again. Clio closed her eyes not 
wishing to see the outcome.  Bandjax was right. She wasn't 
guaranteed to survive this. A pity really, it would have made a 
fantastic story, worthy even of Goliath's tales.
	"This is quite remarkable," Anubis commented.  Clio 
opened her eyes. The scales were perfectly balanced.

	Elisa streaked toward the outlet of the portal.  She hurtled 
toward the castle, unable to stop or slow her advance.  The portal 
spat her out into Castle's courtyard. She tucked her shoulder and 
rolled, minimizing the bruises. She looked around. The gargoyles 
were still statues.  She peered into the portal, no sign of Angela 
or Clio. 
	"Were you successful, Detective?" Xanatos helped her 
to her feet.  Before she could answer, the sun sank below the city 
skyline.
	The other gargoyle emerged from the stone slumber with 
a roar.  Elisa looked for Goliath.  Remembering the condition he 
was in when she left, looked at the statue at her feet. For five heart 
stopping seconds, she thought she failed. They were too late, 
Goliath was dead. Fear squeezed her torso. And then a small crack 
traced itself down his face. Other cracks quickly followed, crazing 
all over the gargoyles body. The explosion was wondrous as 
Goliath emerged from this statuary form with a mighty roar greeting 
the night.
	Elisa jumped into his arm. "Goliath!" was all she said before 
she buried herself into his chest. The other gargoyles nearly 
dogpiled him, overwhelmed by his resurrection. Xanatos remained 
reserved, but when the gargoyles and Elisa subsided, he stoically 
shook Goliath's hand. Internally he was as relieved he still lived 
as the clan. He just didn't express it as openly. 
	The gargoyles began quieting down with the portal flared 
bright again, disgorging Angela, then Demona.  The gargoyles 
greeted the first warmly, the second, Brooklyn pinned her arms 
behind her.  Demona didn't struggle. When Angela saw Goliath 
standing again, she leapt up to hug him. Elisa jumped out his arms, 
before she was crushed by the two. Angela swung her legs around 
her father like she used to with the Guardian. She couldn't keep 
the tears from flowing, she was so happy. It was a scene that would 
give anyone a warm fuzzy. 
	All of a sudden, the portal faded, then vanished completely. 
Angela and Elisa both turned staring at the empty space. Why 
hadn't Clio come through? Bandjax decided to make his presence 
known.
	"Clio?" he asked grimly.
	Demona shifted a bit under Brooklyn's tight grip. "She 
sacrificed herself to save us."
	"It's true," Angela backed her mother up, "She took our 
place on the scale, keeping it open long enough for us to get out."
	Bandjax took a deep breath, letting it out with a long sigh, 
"I guess something like that would happen." The dragon said 
no more. He opened his wings. The undersides glowing with 
starlight.  He enveloped himself in a sphere of the same hue, 
vanishing without a trace.
	Goliath shook his head, "I barely knew her and yet she 
gave her life for me to live."
	"You would have done the same," Demona pointed out.
	Goliath turned to Demona.  He gestured for Brooklyn to 
release her. "How is it going to be between us?" he asked her. 
Demona looked hard into Goliath's countenance, then looked 
to her daughter.
	"I still don't trust humans. I think you're trust in them 
will lead to your destruction," Demona stood up, "But I won't 
be the cause of your death nor the clan's." Demona turned and 
leapt off the battlements. Brooklyn and Angela wanted to give 
chase.  One to punish the other to comfort.  Goliath stopped 
them both.
	"She needs time to think," He explained, "besides I'm 
dead tired."
	Everyone chuckled at this joke. It broke the tension.  
"You're tired," Elisa said incredulously, "Try going two days 
without sleep, fighting demons, three-headed dogs and giant 
snakes. Then tell me what tired is."
	Elisa gave a long jaw-cracking yawn. That reminded 
Angela how tired she was.  They were about retire into the castle 
when the portal sputtered back to life.  The glowing disc kicked 
out a dazed and slightly bemused Clio.
	"Clio!" Angela exclaimed, rushing back to the girl, What 
happened?"
	"Eureka," Clio answered, "It means truth and I found it. 
Anubis sent me back. He said it wasn't my time."
	"How did you keep the portal open for me and mother," 
Angela went on to her next question.
	"I balanced the scale. Not with good and evil, but with 
truth. It's so incredible.  It's like seeing the world with new eyes." 
Clio stared out on darkening sky and the glowing city.
	"Clio," Goliath approached the brown-haired girl, "I 
wanted to thank you for all you've done. You saved my life."
	"No," Clio held up her hand, "You saved your own life, 
by having such noble friends, by inspiring the best within us, 
and by never giving up hope. I just provided the means."
	"Well for that, you have my thanks and my friendship," 
Goliath extended his hand.
	"I'm glad to call you a friend," Clio accepted it, "Well 
I'm sure you want to celebrate your return. I should get back to 
Scriptorium before they start my funeral. Hope to see you soon, 
and keep those stories coming."  Clio faded away with her 
customary choir of wind chimes. Once she departed, the clan 
entered the main hall for a much deserved celebration.

Epilogue
	Clio walked the lonely corridors underneath Scriptorium.  
She found the way unbarred entering Bandjax inner sanctum.  
The dragon was in the same meditative pose, she first met him. 
"You've discovered the truth," the dragon asked, his eyes still 
closed. 
	"Truth has always been there. I just had to die to see." 
Clio answered casually.  She kind of like Bandjax.  He's a sight 
better than Maximillian and the brief adventure he sent her on 
taught her more than she ever though possible.
	"So what are you going to do with your new found wisdom."
	"I'm a storyteller. I'll do what I do, write stories." Clio 
smiled and the dragon did too.

THE END