Page 28 of Dragon's Golden Mate
Something moved in the darkness. It was the gargoyle that’d been on the top of the church, the one with the feathered wings and lolling tongue they’d seen in the old photographs. It was slightly bigger than the other three, about two feet tall. Its wings were spread out in a display, and it walked with its chest proudly out. The tongue was now tucked away, and its angry little face focused hard on Kendrick and Maeve as it approached from the altar. It was minute compared to Kendrick’s mass as a dragon, but it didn’t seem to notice or care as it strutted forward boldly.
Cassandra appeared in Maeve’s mind again. This time, she stood in front of a massive vortex, a swirling wall of light and energy. Her hair flew out all around her, and she spread her arms wide. Even as a mental image, the light was so bright that it was hard to bear. Cassandra breathed in as light and energy flowed through her body.
Shit.Whatever it was that they didn’t like about Cassandra, Maeve had inadvertently shown them an image of herself that was very similar.
The other problem was one that Kendrick hadnoticed, as well.I don’t know where that is,his voice rang in her head.I haven’t seen that before.
It was hard to communicate only through pictures and feelings, but Maeve couldn’t just give up. They were surrounded by the gargoyles now. The goblin still watched from the back of the pew. The hawk had landed on the balcony railing, alert and ready for the next attack. The panther and the creature with the feathered wings were on either side of them on the floor. All those pairs of eyes, all judging, all certain that Kendrick and Maeve were the enemy.
Maeve lay down. Her wolf argued with her, but she forced her head down until her chin touched the floor between her front paws.
What are you doing?
Showing them that I’m not a threat.Maeve closed her eyes and conjured up an image of herself and Kendrick. They were in suits of armor, standing at the front of the church and facing outward. Her vision moved inside the church, where the gargoyles were in the places they’d initially been found. She tried to infuse the scene with a sense of peace and serenity.If it were up to us, everything would be as you had it before.
When she opened her eyes, she saw thatKendrick had taken on the same position. His body took up all of the main aisle of the church, his scales scraping slightly against the edges of the pews. He’d put his head down and folded his wings, and even his tail was curled around his back legs.Let’s hope they understand. They might be small, but I think they could cause a lot of damage if they wanted to.
The one with the feathered wings walked toward them, its strong body moving slowly and steadily. It watched both newcomers as it walked straight between Kendrick and Maeve.
A wingtip barely brushed Maeve’s nose. She looked at Kendrick.I wonder what this means.
Now the cat was following the first gargoyle. The hawk soared down from its height, swooped over their heads, and moved toward the front. The goblin flapped its leathery wings just enough to hop to the next pew. It looked back at them with its sad eyes and then hopped again.
I think we’re supposed to follow them,Kendrick concluded. He slowly stood, careful to keep his head low.
The stone creatures brought them to the front of the church. Though the dog-like creature with feathered wings seemed to be their leader, it was the goblin who moved to the front as they passed thenewel post that was his usual perch. He was the only one who had hands instead of paws, and he opened a small door.
That’s just a coat room,Kendrick told Maeve.I saw it when Cassandra brought me here.
The doorway was barely wide enough for Kendrick to squeeze through, but Maeve understood why he didn’t shift back into his human form. That would cut him off from any communication with the gargoyles. Whatever the creatures were trying to tell them right now, they wanted to know.
The coat room was a long, narrow space that’d probably been carved out of the church at about the same time the office and Sunday school classrooms had. The same cheap paneling lined the wall, but the floor was linoleum here instead of carpet. A couple of closet rods with a shelf above them extended across the longer side of the room, but the goblin moved to one of the shorter sides.
Here, there was nothing but paneling. Some screw holes in the wall, barely visible in what little light came in through a small window, showed that shelves had probably been installed there for extra storage at one time. The goblin touched the paneling, pushing in slightly. It bounced back, revealing a rectangular panel that popped out of the wall.
A hidden door!Kendrick marveled.I can’t believe I didn’t notice it before. The more modern paneling probably kept me from looking too closely.
The goblin pulled on the door, which creaked loudly as it swung open. There was only darkness behind it.
No. As Maeve’s eyes adjusted, she saw that it wasn’t completely dark after all. An unsteady light rippled through the space, revealing a narrow staircase.
The gargoyles went down it, two of them by air and two of them on foot. Kendrick and Maeve followed. The basement was a small space, taking up only a fraction of the church’s footprint. It was lined in old stone.
Probably a remnant from some older building that was here before,Kendrick concluded.The stone isn’t the same as what the church is made of.
But where is that light coming from?Maeve looked around, confused as to why the space felt like it was glowing.
It seemed to be nothing more than a cellar, but then the goblin moved forward to one of the walls. He touched a piece of stone. It sank into the wall and disappeared, revealing a swirling light behind it. The stones around it swirled away as well, and then theones around those. In a moment, the entire wall was a vortex of swirling light and forceful winds.
A portal of some sort?Maeve marveled at what was before her, but she noted that the gargoyles kept well back once this strange whirlwind had been revealed.
Maybe.Kendrick edged closer.
Suddenly, a new vision broke through from the gargoyles. It showed flesh melting from bone, and then bones themselves disintegrating into nothing but ash. It was an image of sweeping, ultimate terror and certain death.
Kendrick moved back again.If they’re trying to warn me about it, then I’m going to listen.
The scene switched, and they once again depicted Cassandra standing in front of it. This was the part of the church they hadn’t seen before, the ones the gargoyles were trying to use to show them something about Cassandra.
