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I was crossing the street when I heard a whistling rush from above.
When I looked up, I expected to see something normal, like a demon or a fairy, but instead it was something else, utterly, breathtakingly brilliant.
He was silhouetted against the moon, wings, tail, claws, the broad-shouldered proportions of an enormous gargoyle. For a moment he hung there while he searched the shadows for his prey before he swooped down right above my head, angling past me into the escalator entrance of Song, the undercity of Singsong, where darkness was a literal way of life.
My heart leapt into my throat and then, without thinking twice about the package in my arms or the danger of night in Song, I ran after him.
Poe circled, calling to me. Where are you going? Go home and give me some snacks.
“Follow the gargoyle!” I yelled as I ran after him.
I had no excuse for my mindless pursuit, except that I’d been obsessed with gargoyles ever since I saw a picture of one in an old book in second grade. I’d seen a few flashes of them, at least I’d like to think I had, but never so close, never like this. If I could catch up to him, talk to him, find out firsthand some of the details that no books explained, I’d be happy for the rest of my life.
I took the escalator steps two and three at a time as I ran after the gargoyle into the darkness, my raven speeding after him. I was happy to see that the way was clear, even for this busy time of night. Once I reached the middle of the escalator, I could still see him silhouetted against the burning red lamps that hummed as he passed them. Why was he flying so low? And why was he in Song? Gargoyles were supposed to be light, even if they did come to life at night.
Maybe he’d tell me if I could catch up to him. I assumed it was male because of the shoulder to hips ratio, but I could have been wrong, because I didn’t know about the physiognomy of female gargoyles any more than I knew about males. But if I could learn…
I hit the final steps and jumped down the rest of the way, passing a group of werewolves as I ran. I didn’t even think about it, just sped past them after the gargoyle like I hadn’t heard a million times what not to do around werewolves, running being the number one thing. Still, unless they were feral, the hairy, hulking people wouldn’t chase me. Unless they felt like it.
A few of them called after me, “Why are you in such a hurry?” or “Slow down so we can enjoy the view,” but I didn’t pay them any attention, because he was at the end of the block, and after swooping down, he turned right around a building with a fancy gothic façade, so much further ahead of me and Poe. Where was he going? He could fly much faster than I could run, but I could catch up to him when he eventually stopped if I could keep him in sight, or if my bird could tell me where he’d gone.
When I reached the corner, I skidded on the sidewalk and almost fell as I changed directions, holding the heavy books to my chest as I kept running, searching for him. I slowed down to a jog when I realized that he wasn’t in sight. Maybe he’d gone down a side road, or stopped inside a shop for really fine soaps like that shop I had passed. I was a sucker for pretty soap, even though the ones I made were probably better. As long as it wasn’t magical, I could make soap with the perfect PH balance and pretty to boot, but I didn’t have time for that these days. Did Gargoyles like soap? Maybe I’d never know. My heart pounded hard in my chest as I jogged faster, peering into windows and down alleys as I went.
Where did he go? I’d probably lost him for good unless Poe could lead me to him. An irrational panic and despair filled me at the thought. I’d been searching my whole life for gargoyles. To come so close and to miss was agonizing. My lungs ached and my eyes watered from frustration, but then there was a flash of wings as the creature took off from a lamp post where I hadn’t seen him and flew down the street, turning the next corner.
Was he playing with me? Was this some elaborate game of hide-and-seek? I grinned fiercely and ran full out as fast as I could go. Halfway down the block where he’d turned, I heard a whimper over my beating heart, and turned to glance in an alley as I passed.
A hulking figure was standing over someone smaller. That’s all I registered before I was on the other side of the alley, almost doubting what I’d seen. It could be nothing, just a couple of friends hanging out in an alley. There was a gargoyle, so close, so fascinating, and I might never see another one again.
I crouched, sliding on the pavement as I changed directions. Maybe I could make this fast, check to make sure things were cool, and then keep chasing my obsession. My heart sank because I didn’t believe me, but I hurried anyway, running into the alley to find that indeed, a very large creature was holding a girl against a wall, looking like he was going to eat her or assault her.
“Hey!” I yelled. My voice was surprisingly loud considering how out-of-breath I was.
The creature turned to look at me, something inhuman in his gold gaze.
I had a small knife in my boot, really not good for anything other than peeling apples and cleaning my nails. Usually I had my skateboard, which I used as a blunt instrument to prevent others from thinking that I was as delicate as I looked, but I’d left it back at Gray College near the back door.
“Let her go,” I said, nodding at the female and trying to sound tough.
He smiled and stepped away from her, focusing intently on me. “You smell fresh, warm, incredibly tasty. Can’t have sweet blood like yours out where it might spill.” He licked his lips and shifted enough for me to see his tufted ears and hairy cheeks.
Another werewolf? Was there a convention or something? “I appreciate the concern, but my blood is mine, and it isn’t going anywhere.”
He cocked his head and then side-punched the female as she tried to run for it, knocking her senseless to the ground. He was strong, skilled, and I was the biggest idiot in the world. I backed towards the street. Someone would probably come along, and then he wouldn’t be so quick to threaten me.
The problem was that when I got to the street, three werewolves from earlier were waiting for me, pinning me between them and the big solo one.
Had this been planned? No, a sane person wouldn’t go into an alley to save someone else in Song from a monster. The strange thing was that the young guys who were grinning and snapping their teeth at me stopped and did a quick back-step when they saw the other werewolf. Were they going to fight over me? Clearly, they weren’t working together.
The big one growled at them low in his throat, and they turned and scattered, one whimpering as he went.
I tried to follow their example, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the alley, swinging me back against the wall, and making me lose my grip on the books that spilled onto the damp bricks.
I gasped and tried to gather them up, but he pressed his arms across my shoulders, holding me in place. His eyes glittered with gold as he studied me. I stomped on his foot, kneed him in the groin, and shoved my fingers as deeply into his armpit as they would go.
He didn’t even grunt. I felt cold, really cold, as he stared at me, his eyes glittering in anticipation.
“Is that all you have?” he growled.
