A Different Memory
Mar. 27th, 2007 03:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
reluctant_gargoyleThis particular memory takes place much more recently than the the ones I've been posting, only a few weeks ago. However, it's an important one, as it concerns something that happened to Demona.
Coming back to wakefulness after being knocked out was never pleasant, and it had already happened several times too many as far as I was concerned. I tried to remember what the last thing to happen was, and groaned. I'd been out on patrol with Angela and we'd been about to intervene in a robbery. She'd gone around one side of a building, and I'd gone around the other... and something struck me from behind.
Which brings me back to waking up. I was chained to a wall, strongly chained. Even with all my strength, I couldn't free myself. The room around me was rather lavishly decorated, if in something of a gothic fashion. "Who lives here...?" I asked, quietly. "Dracula's daughter?"
"Really, Detective. Such nonsense." The voice from the doorway caught my attention and I looked upon Demona. With a growl, I struggled against my chains again, but to no avail.
She approached, making a tsk-tsk noise. "Even as a Gargoyle, you really are quite pathetic."
"Goliath doesn't seem to think so," I snapped.
It was a mistake. She struck out, talons raking me across the side of my face. "You would do well to watch your tongue. You'll live longer."
"If you're going to kill me, just get it over with."
This caused her to laugh. "Honestly, Detective. If I really just wanted you dead, all I would have to do is wait until dawn and set upon you with a hammer. You'd never even know. But no. I have need of you."
She gestured to a spellbook which lay resting on a table. "You do not deserve the gifts you have been given. No pitiful human does. So I am going to take them from you."
Now this made me laugh. "You're crazier than I thought! You really think you can undue Puck's magic?"
"Little is impossible," she sneered. "To one who knows where to look. Fae power is great, but not insurmountable. The gifts you have been wrongly given shall be taken from you, and then you shall be made to suffer as you have never suffered before."
An icy cold terror gripped my heart. Amazing. Months ago, I'd been frightened by the idea of becoming a Gargoyle, and now I was terrified of becoming human. I'd grown to love this body, loved being able to be with Goliath and the others, fighting by their side. It was who I wanted to be. And Demona was insane enough to try and take it from me. I didn't fear dying. I didn't even fear losing Goliath--what we were didn't matter so long as we were together--but to have nearly everything ripped from me again, that I did fear.
I struggled again, but to no success. Unless something amazing happened, I was sunk.
Demona simply smiled wickedly as she opened up the spell book and began chanting in Latin. About halfway through, she lit a brazier and dropped odd items, things I couldn't identify, into the flames. It changed color several times, shifting from red-orange to blue to green, even to purple.
Finally, she lifted the book in one hand, pointing at me with the other. She began chanting again, this time in English.
"Mortal who has taken wing,
I now deny this very thing!
Be no more of Gargoyle Clan,
Instead now walk the world of man!"
A bolt of magical power began to build in her hand and I braced myself for the worst when...
CRASH!
The sound of breaking glass heralded Angela's arrival into the room, crashing through the window. Her tail lashed out, knocking the book from Demona's hand and into the brazier.
"Angela....?! What...?!" Demona stuttered in surprise. "But the spell...!" She looked down at her hand and saw the glow of the spell still there. It began to back up her arm to the rest of her body. She fell to the ground, screaming in pain...
"Mother!" Angela cried. "What have you done?"
Both of us could only watch in amazement as Demona underwent an incredible transformation. From Gargoyle to human. We'd known that this was something she did, had even seen some of the security tapes from the Labyrinth when she was imprisoned there, but to see it happen while the sun was still down was simply indescribable. She appeared to be unconscious.
Angela went to work freeing me, after checking that Demona was still breathing. "What... what happened?" she asked.
"She wanted to do that," and I pointed at her unconscious form, "to me. Good thing you showed up. How'd you find me, anyway?"
"When Mother attacked you, I heard a Gargoyle's roar, hers. I did not arrive in time to help, but... She told me of this place, when she last attempted to win me to her point of view. I gambled that this was where she had brought you. And now..."
Both of our gazes returned to Demona. "You saved me, kiddo. I won't say I'm sorry about what happened... but I know you didn't mean for it to."
As we began to leave, Demona stirred. With an inarticulate cry of rage, she threw herself at me. I cought her wrists easily and held her at arm's length. "I'll kill you!" she snarled.
I'm not exactly proud of what I said next, but a wicked grin spread its way across my face. "No so easy, is it? Human against Gargoyle?" I gave her a toss across the room. Not enough to really hurt, but just to put some space between us. "You brought this on yourself, Demona. Do us all a favor, and end the vendettas, okay?"
Before she could say anything else, Angela and I were gone.
***
I must admit, I took much more delight in Demona screwing herself over than I really should have. Just like when she tried that whole business with the Mirror and Puck to try and kill me, she only made things worse on herself. The irony in someone who hates humans so much, to the point where she plots genocide, trapped as one permanently, well, it's pretty high.
But I also know a thing or two about being trapped in a strange body you don't want. I got used to it, hell, I like being a Gargoyle better. I'd never want to go back to being human. It's a terrible thing to happen to anyone.
But it couldn't have happened to a 'nicer' person.
Which brings me back to waking up. I was chained to a wall, strongly chained. Even with all my strength, I couldn't free myself. The room around me was rather lavishly decorated, if in something of a gothic fashion. "Who lives here...?" I asked, quietly. "Dracula's daughter?"
"Really, Detective. Such nonsense." The voice from the doorway caught my attention and I looked upon Demona. With a growl, I struggled against my chains again, but to no avail.
She approached, making a tsk-tsk noise. "Even as a Gargoyle, you really are quite pathetic."
"Goliath doesn't seem to think so," I snapped.
It was a mistake. She struck out, talons raking me across the side of my face. "You would do well to watch your tongue. You'll live longer."
"If you're going to kill me, just get it over with."
This caused her to laugh. "Honestly, Detective. If I really just wanted you dead, all I would have to do is wait until dawn and set upon you with a hammer. You'd never even know. But no. I have need of you."
She gestured to a spellbook which lay resting on a table. "You do not deserve the gifts you have been given. No pitiful human does. So I am going to take them from you."
Now this made me laugh. "You're crazier than I thought! You really think you can undue Puck's magic?"
"Little is impossible," she sneered. "To one who knows where to look. Fae power is great, but not insurmountable. The gifts you have been wrongly given shall be taken from you, and then you shall be made to suffer as you have never suffered before."
An icy cold terror gripped my heart. Amazing. Months ago, I'd been frightened by the idea of becoming a Gargoyle, and now I was terrified of becoming human. I'd grown to love this body, loved being able to be with Goliath and the others, fighting by their side. It was who I wanted to be. And Demona was insane enough to try and take it from me. I didn't fear dying. I didn't even fear losing Goliath--what we were didn't matter so long as we were together--but to have nearly everything ripped from me again, that I did fear.
I struggled again, but to no success. Unless something amazing happened, I was sunk.
Demona simply smiled wickedly as she opened up the spell book and began chanting in Latin. About halfway through, she lit a brazier and dropped odd items, things I couldn't identify, into the flames. It changed color several times, shifting from red-orange to blue to green, even to purple.
Finally, she lifted the book in one hand, pointing at me with the other. She began chanting again, this time in English.
"Mortal who has taken wing,
I now deny this very thing!
Be no more of Gargoyle Clan,
Instead now walk the world of man!"
A bolt of magical power began to build in her hand and I braced myself for the worst when...
CRASH!
The sound of breaking glass heralded Angela's arrival into the room, crashing through the window. Her tail lashed out, knocking the book from Demona's hand and into the brazier.
"Angela....?! What...?!" Demona stuttered in surprise. "But the spell...!" She looked down at her hand and saw the glow of the spell still there. It began to back up her arm to the rest of her body. She fell to the ground, screaming in pain...
"Mother!" Angela cried. "What have you done?"
Both of us could only watch in amazement as Demona underwent an incredible transformation. From Gargoyle to human. We'd known that this was something she did, had even seen some of the security tapes from the Labyrinth when she was imprisoned there, but to see it happen while the sun was still down was simply indescribable. She appeared to be unconscious.
Angela went to work freeing me, after checking that Demona was still breathing. "What... what happened?" she asked.
"She wanted to do that," and I pointed at her unconscious form, "to me. Good thing you showed up. How'd you find me, anyway?"
"When Mother attacked you, I heard a Gargoyle's roar, hers. I did not arrive in time to help, but... She told me of this place, when she last attempted to win me to her point of view. I gambled that this was where she had brought you. And now..."
Both of our gazes returned to Demona. "You saved me, kiddo. I won't say I'm sorry about what happened... but I know you didn't mean for it to."
As we began to leave, Demona stirred. With an inarticulate cry of rage, she threw herself at me. I cought her wrists easily and held her at arm's length. "I'll kill you!" she snarled.
I'm not exactly proud of what I said next, but a wicked grin spread its way across my face. "No so easy, is it? Human against Gargoyle?" I gave her a toss across the room. Not enough to really hurt, but just to put some space between us. "You brought this on yourself, Demona. Do us all a favor, and end the vendettas, okay?"
Before she could say anything else, Angela and I were gone.
***
I must admit, I took much more delight in Demona screwing herself over than I really should have. Just like when she tried that whole business with the Mirror and Puck to try and kill me, she only made things worse on herself. The irony in someone who hates humans so much, to the point where she plots genocide, trapped as one permanently, well, it's pretty high.
But I also know a thing or two about being trapped in a strange body you don't want. I got used to it, hell, I like being a Gargoyle better. I'd never want to go back to being human. It's a terrible thing to happen to anyone.
But it couldn't have happened to a 'nicer' person.
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