Gargoyle Saga: In The Beginning

Chapter Thirty-seven

Hadriana started laughing maniacally. "Well, that couldn't have been any more prophetic." She nudged Xelphus who stood stock-still, irritated. "So, that's one more to take off your hands, Sorren." Hadriana went to the door and opening it, held her hand out to Lauri.

"Hadriana Von Reed, nice to meet you, new watcher."

"Huh?" he shook her hand but still look confused. "What's just happened?"

Sorren went to him looking sombre and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. "You have been marked as a new watcher, Master McCoy. You finally have found your cross."

"I-I have?" Lauri found me staring at his forehead. He reached up to touch his head but felt nothing there. Lauri's cross wasn't as intricate as mine. It was plainer, more straightforward.

Sorren conjured a small mirror and passed it to him.

Taking it he tilted it, his eyes went wide. "Holy sh- um sugar," he quickly added. "It's like Verity's but, less girly."

"Hey!"

"But um sir, I came to tell you-."

Sorren put his hand up. "There is no point telling me why you are here at this moment in time, but..." he sighed heavily. He sounded tired, almost upset. "You and Verity must leave this academy for a while. Dean, Rowan," he called and the boys stood to attention just behind Lauri. "Please go and fetch Mr McCoy's belongings."

"I'll go," Dean muttered to Rowan. "He was my charge after all." I didn't know that Dean and Rowan never told me who their charges were. Perhaps they knew that I didn't get along with Lauri and decided to keep out of it. Rowan looked sad as he saw his friend leave and then patted Lauri on the back. "Take care of Verity will you, I mean it."

"But sir, I need to tell you something important," he said, with urgency in his voice. "As soon as the mini-buses left with the second years, I saw the protection net shimmer and fade, sir. I don't think its working."

Xelphus and Sorren paused for a second before they suddenly bolted from the room, leaving us standing there in their wake. Hadriana wrung her hands anxiously. "You two stay here. You'll be safer inside. Rowan is it?" she nodded to him. "Come with me." They hurried out and I even saw the secretary leave the room and headed after the others.

"What's going on?" Lauri asked as I was finally piecing this puzzle together.

"I killed an important demon last night."

"Yeah right," he rolled his eyes.

"It's the truth!" I snapped. "But um, because was quite a popular demon, I think Hadriana named him as, like a cabinet minister, the demons want to kill me." We both stared out the window and together we walked to it and saw indeed the strange shimmering net that was cast over us, wasn't as strong as it was before.

"Then they must have done something to the protective web." It was obvious, though he didn't need to say it. "They are coming to kill you here."

"Yup."

"And everyone who is here is in danger."

"Yup."

"And we have limited teachers because most of them have gone with the second-year students for their mid-term exams."

"Yup."

"Shit."

"Yup."

"And, so why are we standing here?"

"Because we've been told to."

"And you take orders?"

I thought about it and shook my head. "No, not really, no."