Reflections of the Father
"Glasses, what are we doing here?" Dracon asked of his second in command. "Here" was the outside of a rather shabby fortunetellers shop. The words "Madame Mystery" graced the door with a peeling picture of a woman over a crystal ball.
"Well, boss, you said to look for anything that might help us get rid of those Gargoyles, right?" the man began hesitantly.
"Yeah…So?"
"We've tried everything else, why not magic?"
"You're joking, right? Still…what could it hurt?" Dracon sighed, straightened his expensive suit and knocked on the door.
*****
Owen Burnett raised an eyebrow at the general destruction in the large kitchen, in the center of it all was Broadway, Angela, Alex and Fairy.
"Voila!" Broadway pronounced, at the still rather neat center island.
"Dinner is served!" He and Angela pushed the rather laden carts out with help (or hindrance), of Alex. Fairy laughed filled the sink up with water and began to toss some of the worst of the mess in.
"Fairy?" Owen asked quietly, he was answered with her trademark grin.
"Hey, Dad, hungry? I think we made enough to feed an army." She began absent mindedly as a few more dishes floated into a growing stack.
"I'm fine, thank you, Broadway drafted you to help cook I presume?" he asked with a slight smile.
"Yeah, it was fun! We did kinda make a mess though, huh?" she said looking around.
"Nothing the four of you can't fix, I'm sure…"
"True, so, what'd ya need?"
"I was looking for Goliath, and Detective Maza?"
"Battlements…but ummm…you might wanna make some noise if you know what I mean?" she said meaningfully before ducking into the dinning hall.
With a very puckish smirk, Owen went in search of the castle's lovebirds.
*****
"Someone took a package from Mr. Xanatos' personal jet early this morning," Owen said calmly to the two only minutes later.
"What was in the package, Owen?" Elisa asked, ever the detective.
"It contained what I believe to be a very magical artifact."
"Believe?" Goliath rumbled.
"I would have to see it to erase doubt, of course, but I think you both know of Titania's Mirror?" at the straightening of their backs and shocked looks, Owen continued.
"A few weeks ago, our sources found a mirror that matched the description in an antique shop in Paris, its glass had been broken somehow but once re-glassed it was still a valuable artifact."
"I don't get it, if it is the mirror, why would Demona have let it out of her sight? And who would want to steal an old mirror unless they knew what it was?" Elisa asked.
"Demona might have thought the mirror's powers gone when it was smashed, this is not true as it is the mirror's base and frame that lends it the power it holds. As for why someone else would want it…I can only fear the worse, Detective."
"I assume you wish for the clan to keep on the look out for it, or any who might be able to use it then?" Goliath asked quietly, a bit un-nerved at the thought of having the mirror around again, though he decided reasonably, the Fey who caused the trouble was right here.
"And you want me to check some contacts?" Elisa asked echoing Goliath's un-nerved look.
"Yes, I…Mr. Xanatos, would greatly appreciate it."
*****
"Ok, we got ya the mirror. Can you get on with it?" Dracon snapped at the short woman to his side. Madame Mystery (the III they were informed), was a small women with hoop ear rings, a poet's blouse, and a many layer skirt to complete the outfit. She had chocolate brown skin and long black hair that was pulled back in a braid. Once she had been the manager at a department store, then she'd been called Teresa Larks, but when the store had closed, and she'd been laid off, she'd come back home to the family business. Swindling. Her great grandmother had told her that the family had actually had great powers, but as the blood had grown thinner in their veins they had learned to do magic with a few "tricks". Also called fraud.
However when she'd seen the man in the expensive suit walk in she knew she couldn't let an obvious source of income walk away. So she'd told them she could call up a Fey, beings of pure magic, to do his bidding. Under the right circumstances, of course, and for the right price, unfortunately, even armed with her Granny's old spell book, the ring of gold and bell of silver provided for her to the side, she wasn't sure how she was going to pull this off.
"Ok, now stand back," she said with false bravery, lighting the candles at her side.
*****
Fairy ducked the spray of water and laughed, she'd never thought cleaning could be this much fun. They'd started cleaning an hour ago and had ended up in a water war.
"Ok, let's finish things up," she said closing her eyes, the now clean dishes moved quickly to stack themselves up as Angela and Broadway clapped.
"I guess magic comes in handy, huh?" Broadway said grinning.
"Yup," she answered cheerfully, then frowned at her clothes.
"Why don't you go put something dry on? Broadway and I'll finish up here…" Angela said smiling. With a grateful nod, Fairy walked to her room to change. Pulling on some dry clothes, she was just about to walk back to the kitchen when THE Feeling overtook her. Glancing around she saw nothing out of the ordinary so shrugging it off, she continued her trek to the kitchen.
*****
Madame Mystery squinted at the words on the book in front of her as Dracon's men hung the mirror with iron chains. As the men moved away, she took a deep breath and held the bell and ring in front of her.
*****
"Are you ok, Fairy?" Angela asked as the three of them poured popcorn into bowls. A good TV movie was on tonight, and the clan member's not patrolling were planning on watching it with Hudson, and tapping it for the other's.
"Yeah…just…I have a funny feeling something's…wrong," she said hesitantly, sighing.
"Should we get, Owen?" Broadway asked worriedly.
"No…it's probably nothing…"
*****
"Knew I shoulda paid more attention when Granny tried to teach this stuff to me…" Teresa muttered. She then rang the bell four times, reciting a decent rendition of the lines within the book. Picking up a feather (from her feather pillow back home), she blew it towards the mirror, and was just as surprised as Dracon when it went through. That surprise caused her to muddle the last lines.
*****
"If you're sure…" Angela began, only to be cut off by a cry of surprise from Broadway. She'd had her back to Fairy while reaching for a bowl, turning, she saw the reason for Broadway's distress. Fairy had begun to glow with a greenish light. The glowing intensified until, with a flash, Fairy vanished.
*****
"It worked," Teresa gasped, as the rather shell shocked being that had come through the mirror tossed her black hair back to look around in surprise.
*****
"OWEN!" the scream from Angela, along with the sudden feeling of something being wrong, had Owen to the kitchen scant seconds after Angela had cried out. David and Fox flanked him, and a pajama clad Alex was just behind them. From the other direction Hudson came in sword drawn Bronx on his heels.
They found Angela and Broadway both looking at an up-turned bowl of popcorn, on top of which a single feather rested.
*****
"This is the 'being of pure magic' you promised me?" Dracon snapped. Fay was standing up and doing her best to look innocent, while Dracon held the end of her chain "leash".
"She's just a kid! Get her outta here!" he snapped motioning to Teresa. Fay flinched suddenly as her magic rose up to comply, and only a quick interference kept the poor woman in this plain of existence. Marshalling her forces she did the only thing she could; obeyed. Dracon jerked when the magic burst past him and into Teresa, who glowed briefly before vanishing.
*****
The others had only began to realize what had happened when Teresa appeared in the middle of the kitchen. She looked around rather calmly for a second or so, clutching a bell, ring, and book to her chest, then passed out.
*****
"What did you do?" Dracon's voice had taken on note of unbelief.
"Got her 'outta here'," Fay said with a sigh, trying to wiggle out of her bonds, and flinching when the be-spelled iron dug deeper into her skin.
"So you are one of these…Fairies?"
"N…Half," she blinked in surprise, she couldn't lie to him. Great, just great.
"Ok, what else can you do?" he asked smiling slowly.
"What else do you want me to do?" she asked, giving up on getting out of the chains, she decided to at least relieve the weight. Sitting cross-legged she floated to Dracon's eye level.
"Well? I haven't got all night…" she said in a tone that she hoped sounded bored. Maybe if she hurried him…kept him off guard, he'd make a mistake, and she could get away.
"The way I see it, you're mine, so you can wait all night if I decide," Tony, smiling slowly. It was then Fairy recognized him, Tony Dracon. Peachy, this night just kept getting better.
*****
"So, what you're telling me is you thought Dracon was easy money, you'd pretend to call up a Fey, fail, and run off with the bell and ring?" Puck's voice had a tone of barely concealed anger.
"S…something like that…Yes…" Miss. Larks said watching the floating man and the creatures around him uneasily.
"Dracon's not some one you wanna mess with," Broadway said from the side.
"Neither are we…" Puck said threateningly, for a second Xanatos feared the woman's life expectancy was about to be cut short. Instead the Fey floated to the old book on the coffee table and picked it up. Teresa had come to shortly after she passed out and found herself in the rather spacious sitting room, along with one of the oddest cast of characters she'd ever met.
"So, why was Fairy taken, Puck?" Angela questioned. "I thought you told us the spell that Mother cast called specifically for you?"
"It does, but it seems 'Madame Mystery' fudged the words a bit, Instead of calling for me, the incantation she said called for my child."
*****
"Well…for my first wish, I want you to get rid of a thorn in my side. You ever hear of gargoyles?" Tony asked as he paced in front of the mirror, dragging a none too willing Fairy behind him.
"N…Yes."
"Good, get rid of 'em."
"What?!"
"I said get rid of them, understand?"
"Yeah," Fairy sighed "I understand."
*****
"Ok, so far we know that Tony Dracon has Fairy, we don't know where because Miss. Larks was drove there and wasn't paying attention," Broadway recited, in full private eye mode.
"Right, and that leaves us at square one again," Puck said sighing. "I can't do a Fey tracking spell because the iron chins will interfere and no one here is versed enough in human magic to do one."
"There is someone…" Angela began hesitantly.
"Aye, Demona could do it," Hudson agreed at Angela's unspoken suggestion.
"The question is, would she?" Xanatos asked hesitantly.
"Not if we asked her…"Puck said turning his gaze to Angela.
"Well…I don't know …We've just started speaking again…but I could try," Angela said hesitantly.
With that Puck handed her the cordless phone that had appeared out of nowhere.
*****
"What's taking so long?" Dracon snapped.
"Gimme a sec, huh? This is complicated stuff…" Fairy snapped back. With a sigh she took a deep breath and recited:
Gargoyles of Manhattan Clan,
From a far and distant land,
Be no more you creatures of the night,
Because you offend Tony Dracon's sight
*****
"Please, Mother, I know that…" she was cut off mid-sentence as a green glow engulfed her, the same glow that was now over taking the other gargoyles and converging on the center of the room where Brooklyn, Lexington, and Goliath appeared. Seconds later all the gargoyles found themselves very…human.
Angela hesitantly picked up the phone she'd dropped, looking a bit dazed. Everyone however heard the once gargoyle on the other end use her extensive vocabulary.
*****
"That's it?"
Fairy glared at the crime boss, rubbing her temples.
"Well, if you want I can do a dance and song," she snapped.
"Whoa, just a question, I like seeing things…this is…different."
"Whatever, finished? Can I leave now?" Fairy asked, hopping against hope he'd be that gullible.
"Not on your life, Pixie, I can think of a few more things I need done…"
*****
No one was quite sure how Demona arrived so fast, sans wings, but were not very surprised to see the red head human burst in. The other members of the clan had just been filled in and all looked rather uncomfortable in their human state. Demona on the other hand was apparently somewhat used to her own appearance and had even changed into appropriate clothing. Still, the jean clad T-shirt wearing female looked as though she would easily have torn Puck to pieces had he not floated out of range.
"What is the meaning of this trickster?" she snarled at the Fey, who floated just inches from her grasp.
"Calm down, Mother," Angela said stepping forward to take her hands. Puck looked relieved as Demona calmed.
"Actually Demona, this time it isn't even me…" he began hesitantly.
*****
"Ok, there's this detective, her name's Maza, Elisa Maza," Dracon pulled out an unnecessary photo and passed it to her. Fairy took note that it was quite recent, and wondered how he'd gotten it.
"I want you to take care of her, make her no more, can you do it?"
"Sure, make the human Maza disappear, right?" she asked, sounding bored.
"You got it, sugar," he grinned.
"With a sigh, Fairy pressed her fingertips to her temples, hopping she could pull this latest twist off.
Elisa Maza who hunts at night,
No more shall you see dawns fair light,
Be gone human born,
Be no more as thou were formed.
*****
"Thanks for taking the wheel, Matt. I feel like my head's being impounded," Elisa groaned from the passenger side of her car.
"Hey no prob…." Matt stooped and almost swerved off the road as his partner was engulfed in a green light, seconds later he found himself staring at a very different Elisa.
"Matt! Road!" Elisa snapped, just in time to keep Matt from hitting a street vendor.
"I take it we're headed for the Aeire?" he asked a few seconds later.
"And step on it."
*****
"It's done?" Dracon asked with a grin.
"It's done…."Fay said wearily, she'd never felt this tired before in her life. It was a good thing Puck had been teaching her transformation spells though, otherwise she'd have had even bigger problems.
"Good, now I want you to do the same thing to the rest of the cops in the city," Dracon said smiling.
*****
Elisa and Matt, after using the private garage elevator for obvious reasons, walked into the middle of the mad house in the Great Hall. For a few moments the chatter was almost deafening then slowly, voice by voice it stopped as everyone turned to stare at Elisa.
"Let me guess," she began. "Someone found the mirror?"
*****
"You don't know what you're asking for…."
"Can you do it?" Dracon demanded, pulling her down to his face.
"Not from here…."
"Why?"
"Before I was focusing on a small group, this is a bigger range I need to be somewhere high, the World Trade Center, maybe?" Fairy said hesitantly, not sure if she could pull it off even then.
"Glasses, get the limo, we're going on a road trip."
*****
"What you're telling me is that the mirror I threw away still had power, and a two bit sorceress used that to call up your…daughter?" Demona tasted the word's strangeness. Puck with a daughter? Still, she would never have thought herself a mother either.
"Yeah…and apparently she's now being commanded by Tony Dracon, the crime boss. I don't know how much longer Fairy's gonna last, most of the spells she's cast have been pretty major. I can't track 'em because of the iron chains though…." Puck said with a sigh and a despairing look.
"So you want me to do a tracking spell with mortal magic to find her?"
"Yes…it's the only option I can think of…" he hesitated a moment, then continued hesitantly. "Please."
Once Demona would have gloated at having the trickster at her mercy. However, with Angela's sudden appearance in her life, and finding out that she did in fact care for the daughter she'd never known, Demona found herself drawing disturbing similarities between herself and Puck. With those thoughts in mind, she put on her well-worn mask of indifference.
"Very well, but only so I can get this over with," she said harshly.
"I'll need some supplies…" she continued, and with that the motley crew found themselves being sent in search of the required items.
*****
"Ok, kid, we got you here, now do your stuff," Dracon said tugging the tired Fairy forward.
"Gimmie a sec….huh?" she said stepping towards a dish on the building. Hope this does what I think it will….
Brave defenders clad in blue,
With this spell I call to you,
From compass points four,
What you were be no more.
*****
"Here we go again…" Lex said, watching as green glow engulfed Matt. A second later a red haired gargoyle stood before them.
"Hey! You guys are back to normal!" he exclaimed happily, looking confused at Goliath's weary sigh.
*****
When last wave of magic left her body, Fairy collapsed. Dracon watched as Glasses nudged her gently.
"She's out, Boss…"
"I can see that Glasses. Well, don't just stand there, grab her and have the boys get the mirror. I feel like stealing something."
Dracon's mood lasted exactly the trip to the street. Then he saw a gargoyle in blue helping an old lady across the street and another to the side writing a ticket. However he and his boys seemed to be the only ones who noticed anything unusual.
"What the hell did you do?" he snapped jerking Fairy's half-conscious form upright in a nearby alley.
Only years of self-survival gave her the ability to keep her wits about her.
"What? I got rid of your problem," she said between clinched teeth as the chain bit into one of her arms.
"How do you figure? The cops are still there, maybe even stronger."
"What do you know about gargoyles?"
"That they're big, ugly, and…only come out at night." His anger slowly draining away Tony laughed.
"So all we have to do is wait for daylight and we're home free," he motioned for the other's to grab the mirror and moved toward the limo. "C'mon, I suddenly feel like a stroll in the park."
Fairy floated behind him, a blank look on her face.
The park? Great, he's insane too.
*****
Puck floated to the side of Demona, a small black pot was over a Bunsen burner to which she was carefully adding things. They had moved the casting into a bare lab to have more room. Anyone who was not helping had been ordered out. A large map of Manhattan was spread on the opposite wall. When she seemed content that she had everything she turned to Puck.
"I need your blood for the spell," she said pulling out a wooden knife she'd found in a display somewhere in the castle, it was razor sharp, and insured no metals that could harm the Fey would enter his blood. Though she seemed to be taking way to much joy in this for his comfort. With a sigh he extended a wrist and Demona watched as the gold band disappeared.
"Go ahead, get it over with," he said with false bravado, he wasn't fond of sharp objects, especially when Demona held them. With an expert movement that said she'd done such things before, she slit his wrist, making sure the blood was flowing steadily into the black pot. She watched as the flow stopped and the wound closed. Within seconds no one would have known Puck had been injured at all. The wristband re-appeared and he moved back as Demona began adding the other ingredients, she began chanting softly in Latin, calling for blood to find blood. The power in the room grew, and finally in a burst of heat and magic, a small point on the map was burned through.
"Central Park." Demona said softly, before she and Puck both walked out to alert the others.
*****
"I want that."
"You have gotta be kidding…" Fairy sighed looking at Cleopatra's needle.
"I mean, where are you going to put it?"
"Good point, so shrink it."
"You can get a mini version in a gift shop, no magic required," Fairy said with a sigh.
"But I want this one."
"Why?" she was beginning to think Dracon was off his rocker.
"What do you think the city would pay for it's safe return? And there'd be no way they could pin it on me." Tony smiled at the thought, having this kid around was going to be very profitable.
*****
It took only a quick spell from Puck to get the entire group of changed beings to the park. Xanatos had outfitted the once gargoyle clan with different clothing to protect them from the fall chill, and with the exception of Elisa, Matt, and Puck (and the large laser pistol Demona had found), they looked decently normal.
"Now what?" Lexington asked, only to stop and gasp at a pillar of green flames toward the center of the park.
"Call it a hunch," Brooklyn smirked, "but I think we go that way."
*****
Taking a deep breath, Fairy flinched at the pain in her head and concentrated on the spell at hand.
Needle of stone, ancient yet new,
I send this call for you,
Smaller and smaller you shall grow,
Till Dracon can carry you in tow.
The magic engulfed the stone pillar, licking around it like flames, slowly the massive carving began to shrink. Moments later it would have easily fit in Dracon's palm. With a slight flinch she watched the world spin a second, feeling like she was going to pass out.
"Not bad kid, now…"
"Now it ends, Dracon." Tony looked around startled, and found himself facing the once gargoyles, Elisa, and Matt. The voice that had spoken, though human, was clearly Goliath.
Dracon's jaw dropped and he turned an angry glare to the child at his side.
"You little…." Fairy flinched as Dracon yanked the chain pull her closer, and was just as surprised as he when a laser beam suddenly severed it. Two more blasts and she felt them fall away completely. Then she watched as Dracon was lifted off his feet, she turned and practically lunged into her father's arms.
"So you're Dracon," Puck's voice took on an angry edge, with on arm still around Fay his voice rose and his eyes glowed.
Vile disgrace of your race,
Now the outside shall I mar to show what you truly are.
Green light shot from Puck's eyes, engulfing Tony Dracon, a second later the only thing that remained was a black snake with a white streak down it's back. A tank appeared around him and Puck allowed himself a smile as Dracon's men ran for their lives.
"You ok, kid?" he asked softly of Fairy, who at the moment refused to let him go.
"Now I am…but I feel like I'm gonna pass out."
"Power drain, but I need you to cast one more spell, up to it?"
"Sure, no prob, I bet I can even guess the spell," she said with a smile at those around her. She took a deep breath.
All the things done this night,
By me a young, spirited sprite,
Now once more be made right,
Fairy's eyes began to glow as she slowly stepped away from Puck.
Defenders flesh and stone,
Be again to thy home,
And no more wear this human guise,
Return to the form that soars the skies.
The glow surrounded the gargoyles and Matt and Elisa watched as they were transformed. Then winked back to the castle, and Demona to her house, minutes ahead of the sun.
Defenders clad in blue,
Now I turn to you,
All of you near and far,
Be once more what you truly are.
The rush of magic lifted Elisa and Matt up, before it hit the mirror and was sent in different directions. Matt reach to help Elisa to her feet, looking a bit dazed.
Stone statue of wisdom and grace,
Go back to your old place,
And again stand tall,
To be seen by one and all.
The magic hit the small piece of stone and slowly, it ballooned back to its original size.
Now the threads I tie tight,
And say to all: Goodnight.
Puck, as Owen gently caught his daughter as she passed out.
"Would either of you mind hailing me a cab?" he asked of the two detectives, glancing over his shoulder he added.
"With a large trunk."
*****
A few hours later, Fairy was tucked safely in bed. The mirror had been but in a spare room till they decided what to do with it and Dracon, who according to Owen would turn back into his normal self within hours, had been sent home, via a delivery boy with a note that he could keep the aquarium. Owen quietly checked on Fairy throughout the day, and the following night. In fact, she didn't so much as stir till the next night. Miss Lark had left the same night, after Owen paid her a nice tidy sum for her Granny's spell book.
Reflecting on it all as he sorted through a stack of papers describing different high schools, Owen had to admit the night had been nothing but the average for life at the castle.
Next story…High School?