by Judith Post
Ally nodded. She wouldn't stay under it with them, but as long as she was conscious, the magic bubble would hold. "I want to remind all of you one more time, if something happens and I shift, look away from me. I can't always control it. If you look at my eyes, you'll be stone."
"Better that than have Idouma capture us," Hypos said.
Ally shivered and nodded agreement. "Why take chances?" She called on her magic and tented Hypos and Tepo under an invisible shield. Then she, Dante, and Samuel planted themselves at the points of a triangle, daring anyone to get past them.
They didn't have long to wait. The sounds of hooves clacked on the cement sidewalk at the entrance of the alley and someone shouted, "Found them!"
A dozen centaurs came at them from different directions. Belisario must have called in reinforcements. This time, he thought he tasted victory.
He was wrong.
Arrows whizzed through the air. Ally swept her hand and pushed hers aside. Dante let a half dozen of them pierce his skin, then brushed them away. Samuel slapped his hands together and caught them like so many mosquitoes, before snapping them in half. The centaurs tried again. This time, an arrow caught Samuel's leather wing, ripping a hole through it. A barrage of arrows flew toward Ally, and she called for a wind to blow them away. But enough with defensive actions. She'd always preferred taking the offense.
She raised her palm and shot a white ball of energy at a centaur's chest, knocking him out of the alley, across the street, and slamming him into a corner building. He slumped and stayed down. More arrows flew toward Hypos and Tepo, hit the invisible barrier, and dropped to the ground.
This time, after the aerial barrage, the centaurs charged. Four, heavy bodies slammed into Dante, sending him flying. He sprang to his feet and rushed the centaurs who were rushing him. A game of chicken where no one swerved. Bones crunched. A foreleg snapped. One centaur went down. Two more lay in a heap, their legs jumbled together.
Four more charged Samuel. He tossed two of them before grappling with two more. While he fought, Belisario plunged a sword into his side. He looked surprised when it didn't go far. The tip snapped when it hit solid marble. Samuel yanked it loose, shook himself free, and turned on Belisario. He gripped the centaur with both hands and flung him against Ally's garage. The building shuddered. While Belisario tried to regain his balance, Samuel turned the sword on the other two assailants. A red slash cut one's leg to the bone. He cried out in a whinny. The second centaur's right arm hung, useless.
Idouma and three friends circled Ally. When two of them lunged, Ally knocked them away with magic, but Idouma rushed up behind her. He clamped his arms around her body, grabbed her breasts with his hands, and twisted.
She gasped with pain. Really! Energy sizzled across her skin. Idouma's body jerked as it flowed through him. She sent more. He finally spasmed and fell backward. Ally turned on him, just as an arrow slammed into her shoulder. Damn it. She whirled to scorch the crossbow in the centaur's hands. The energy traveled up his arms and circled his body. Smoke curled from his hair, and he went up in flames.
Idouma kicked at her belly. His hoof hit hard enough to knock her flat. He rolled on top of her and licked her face. Repulsion slithered through her veins. She felt her legs twine together, then stretch into a tail. Her hair writhed and danced. Tiny tongues darted from lipless mouths. Her eyes burned, and Idouma smirked into a yellow gaze. His eyes widened. His limbs grew heavy. Ally wriggled out from under him before she was trapped under his stone statue.
"Don't look!" she cried as she sprang to her feet. Belisario quit hacking at the invisible barrier guarding Hypos and Tepo long enough to turn to glare at her. The last thing he did.
Ally shut her eyes and took shallow breaths, trying to calm herself. When she opened them again, she was back to her mortal form. A centaur raced toward her, but Dante lifted him off the ground and hurled his head against a telephone pole.
Three centaurs galloped down the alley, trying to flee. Samuel leapt into the air to block their retreat. His wings unfurled, and one centaur turned, took aim, and an arrow slammed through the one wing that was still undamaged. Samuel wobbled above the rooftops, then fell to earth. He hit so hard, dust flew skyward.
The damn centaur laughed. Ally spread her fingers and sparks sizzled like lightning. They shot like a lasso around the three enemies. She yanked them toward Dante. Before he could deal with them, Hypos beat her fists against her protective bubble, and Ally released her.
Hypos and Tepo raced to Samuel. They knelt, one on each side of him. Tears of relief raced down their cheeks as the gargoyle groaned, raised himself onto his elbows, and shook his head to clear it.
The centaur who'd shot him stared in amazement. When he turned again, he was face to face with Dante. Dante's fist connected with his jaw, and he went down. The two, still conscious, bowed their heads in submission.
"We surrender," they said in unison.
Dante motioned for Ally to join him. They stood shoulder to shoulder as any surviving centaurs limped toward them.
Dante demanded, "Do you admit defeat?"
They nodded. Ally didn't know if centaurs healed as quickly as other magical creatures, but she hoped not. Arms dangled at odd angles. Not one centaur had all four of its legs in good shape.
Dante looked at Ally. "I don't trust them. If they promise to never bother us again, can you make sure they keep their word?"
She nodded. "A witch's pledge. If they break it, their throats will shut and they can't breathe."
Dante raised his eyebrows. "You can really do that?"
"It's their choice. They can pledge to leave us alone, or let me blast them now."
"We'll pledge." One centaur stretched out his hand. His friends followed.
Dante still frowned, worrying over the truce. "They can just send others."
Ally shook her head, a grim smile on her lips. "That's still an action taken against us. They'll still…."
"We get it," one of them said. "No centaur will bother you again, if we can help it."
Ally placed her hands over theirs. "As a symbol of our truce…." Energy flowed up their arms, through their bodies, and into their limbs. When she removed her touch, the centaurs stared at each other, most of their injuries gone. It was better than they deserved.
"The same energy that healed you…."
"Can kill us," one of them said.
They glanced at Belisario and Idouma. "Can we take their statues back with us?"
"Bring your van. We'll help you load them." Dante watched them gallop away.
By the time they returned, Samuel was leaning against the garage while Hypos and Tepo fussed over him. He was covered with scratches, his wings both had holes in them, but he looked happy.
"You shouldn't overdo," Hypos warned as he helped Dante lift the heavy, stone statues and wedge them in place.
When the centaurs drove away, the four of them headed up the stairs to Ally's apartment. Hypos went straight to the bathroom for astringents and bandages. Tepo sat on the arm of Samuel's chair.
"I've never seen anyone fight like that. I like the way you fly. Can we fly together some time? My wings are smaller than yours, but they're prettier."
Hypos laughed at her son. "Let the poor man have a minute to recover."
But Samuel smiled. "I'd love to fly with you. There's nothing I'd enjoy more."
"Can I come too?" Hypos laid a hand on Samuel's knee, and a flush crept up his neck to his cheeks.
Tepo stared. "Do you like my mom? Do you want to keep us?"
Samuel's face went from red to crimson.
"Do you?" Hypos asked. "We're available, you know."
It was Samuel's turn to stare. "For me?"
"Actually, you're the only one who's received this offer."
His face crumpled. It was a humbling thing to see. Ally gulped down air, so that she wouldn't embarrass herself with tears.
Samuel opened his arms, and Hypos and Tepo both threw themselves into his
embrace.
Dante cleared his throat. "Ally and I need a little fresh air. We'll be back in a while."
And they left the three of them to give them some privacy.
Dante's step had a bounce to it. "Gideon told Samuel he'd meet his match someday. Samuel didn't believe him."
Ally smiled, leaning closer to him. "Now Ecanus is the only single gargoyle. Do you think Summit City can come up with someone special for him?"
Dante bent his head to nuzzle her cheek. "You know, if you had asked me that a year ago, I'd have said no. I thought the four of us would sit on our church corners forever, with only our jobs to give our lives meaning. Now, who knows?" He shrugged. "Maybe our faithful service has been rewarded."
Ally liked that idea. And Ecanus was every bit as faithful as the other three gargoyles. It was time he was rewarded too.
Their walk led them past the house with the tulip tree in its back yard. For Sale. Maybe it was time for nesting. Ally had wandered for a long time. Hypos and Tepo had run. This house was big enough for all of them.
The End
A Natural Affinity
The Fourth Ally & Dante Novella
A Lunch Hour Read
by
Judith Post
Copyright 2013
To my sisters, Patty and Mary
Ally crossed to the other side of the street. City workmen blocked off traffic ahead, and equipment clogged the sidewalk. Looked like a tree trimming crew. The smell of sawdust lingered in the air. Dante and Samuel had her Jeep, out together shopping at hardware stores, but it was such a beautiful, crisp fall day, she'd decided to walk from her apartment in the center of the city to the house she'd recently bought in West Central. She'd handed her landlord her keys, finished cleaning the last closet, and closed the door to her apartment for the last time. The new bed was being delivered to their house today, and she wanted to be there.
As she got closer to the work crew, her happy mood wavered. They were cutting and removing one of the neighborhood's old oaks—a tree that had looked healthy only a few weeks ago. It had been losing leaves, yes, but she'd thought that was natural at this time of year. On closer inspection, its branches twisted in odd angles. She'd never seen a tree suffer before dying, but that's the impression the oak gave.
She sighed. Summit City was fighting a tree epidemic. Ashes were dying in huge numbers—the newspapers blamed a parasite. A drought had weakened and killed many of the ornamental trees that lined the streets. And now, the old oak had died. Would more follow?
One of the deciding factors in her buying the brick, Queen Anne style house—besides falling in love with it—was the giant, tulip tree in the backyard. She'd placed a protective spell around it as soon she signed the deed for the house. No enemies—even mites or viruses—could harm it. On further consideration, she'd bespelled the entire yard. Why take chances?
Three other factors had made her choose the Queen Anne—its proximity to downtown (and the four gargoyles' cathedral), the carriage house at the back of the property that she could make into a studio, and the fact that the house had been divided into two apartments—one upstairs, one down. Samuel's new family, Hypos and Tepo, were moving in upstairs. At the moment, their rooms were almost as disorganized as hers. After all, the mother and son had spent most of their lives running. They were starting from scratch…and loving it.
She and Dante had repainted every room downstairs, making all of them the sunshine yellows and sky-blues of the Mediterranean, except for the library. Dante had insisted on a clotted-cream color in there, more relaxing for contemplation. They'd moved the furniture from her apartment—giving her old bed to Hypos for her son's room—but Ally's sofa and loveseat were lost in this house's monstrous living spaces. She smiled. That meant lots of shopping in her future.
Today, Ally looked forward to the new bed being delivered. King-sized, so that Dante's feet didn't hang over the end. The new mattress would support a gargoyle's weight and still be soft enough—with a deep, pillow top—to please her. Delivery wasn't scheduled until after noon, so once inside the house, Ally decided to organize the kitchen while she waited.
She could hear ladders being moved across the floor above her. Hypos and Tepo were tiling the bathroom upstairs while Samuel bought new faucets and hardware. Ally smiled. She'd been alone for so long, it would feel nice to be part of a "family" of gargoyles and magical shifters. She hummed while she unpacked a box that held drinking glasses and placed them in a cupboard. She glanced out the window and gawked at an odd sight. A man kept stepping into their yard and then returning to the sidewalk. Why would he do that? And then she understood. Her spells were repulsing him.
The spells only denied enemies access.
When he noticed her looking out the window, he ran. She bit her bottom lip. She was an artist, after all. If she couldn't catch him or take his picture, she could draw one. She hurried to the library to grab one of her sketchbooks, then padded back to the kitchen, where there was more natural light. While the memory was fresh, she began drawing. In half an hour, she gave a satisfied nod.
A strong, solid man gazed at her from the page. Maybe six feet tall. Bulging thigh muscles. A long, narrow face. Large, dark eyes. Loose curls and a goatee. She was so busy, filling in little details, that she jumped when a key turned in the front door. She whirled to see Dante and Samuel enter the house.
Dante looked at Ally's face and hurried toward her. "What's wrong?"
Zeus, it was nice to have someone who read her so well! Every woman should be lucky enough to have a gargoyle love them. She smiled, trying to reassure him. "Maybe nothing, but this man was trying to come into our yard, and my spells kept pushing him away."
The gargoyles knew how her magic worked.
Samuel came to look at the sketch. His hands clenched into fists. "Do you think someone has come after Hypos and Tepo?"
"It's a possibility." Ally doubted that any centaur would bother them again, but Hypos and Tepo were the last descendants of Pegasus. She'd learned the hard way that scarcity wasn't always a blessing.
"If the centaurs told someone that you're a gorgon…." Dante sighed.
He had a point. She was a rare commodity, too, the only surviving sister of Stheno and Medusa. If someone came to their brick house, he'd hit the jackpot. He could snag a head that turned enemies to stone and capture two, winged horses.
Dante's gaze swept their half-finished rooms. "Have you put protection spells on the house yet?"
Ally shook her head. "Just the yard and tree."
"Then it's time to make the house safe, and your studio too." Dante frowned at her drawing. "On our evening watches, each of us has come across new scent trails in town. Ecanus dragged a woman's body out of the river a few days ago. She's the third one we've found in four months."
"Our river?" Ally gazed out the window to the street that ran beside their property. It dead-ended at a river—only a few blocks away. Ducks sometimes walked through front yards and gathered on their wide porch to beg. The previous owners must have fed them.
Samuel followed her gaze. "Our police friends are letting us deal with the case because the woman was beginning to shift before someone broke her neck. Whoever killed her wasn't completely human either, but we couldn't place either scent."
Ally looked at all of the glass that surrounded her. That's one of the things she'd loved about this house—lots of windows. But windows could be broken—unless she chanted her spells. "She hadn't shifted enough to give you any clues?"
Dante shook his head. "We're newer than most mythical creatures. Our artists didn't carve us until after the big cathedrals were built. We can only recognize things we've seen before, ordinary supernaturals—werewolves and warlocks—and any unique ones who've come to Summit City."
There was getting to be quite a list of them—Lotus eaters, griffins, and centaurs. And now, Samuel's Hypos and Tepo—descendants of Pegasus. Ally sighed. "I've met my share of immortals from Greece. If I'd have smelled
her scent, I might have known."
Dante nodded. "Ecanus said he should have called you, but she was…well, if you didn't have to see her, he considered that a good thing."
Ally thought about the fourth gargoyle, Ecanus—the quiet one of the four. With his dark-auburn hair and green eyes, she'd expected him to be the firebrand in the group. Not. He was painfully shy.
"Was the woman beaten? Tortured?" Ally asked.
"Used for sexual pleasure. Roughly." Dante left it at that.
Ally didn't ask for more information. She doubted whoever was trying to sneak into their yard was trying to rape her. Most men were after her gorgon's head, not her body. She raised her sketch and studied it more closely. "Have you ever seen this guy on the streets while you watch over the city?"
Both gargoyles shook their heads.
"We'll step up our watch, though," Samuel promised. "We'll make copies of your picture for Gideon and Ecanus too. We'll know what to look for now."
All four gargoyles rarely left the cathedral's roof at the same time. They would now. She frowned at Dante. "You guys are coming and going a lot more than you used to. Won't people notice?"
He grinned, obviously pleased with himself. "We've taken care of that."
She'd ask about the solution later. For the moment, she was interested in the women who'd been attacked and murdered. "You said you've found three women's bodies. The last one was shifting…."
Samuel interrupted to clarify. "All three of them were almost completely back to their mortal forms when their killer finished them. He chose them on purpose, didn't want mortal women, and all three were badly abused." Samuel despised the word raped almost as much as Dante did.
Ally bit her bottom lip, thinking. "The supernaturals he preyed on couldn't have been very powerful. He must have known that, taken advantage of it."
