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I BROKE THROUGH THE towering ferns and stared up. I wasn’t sure what was more shocking, the creatures circling slowly high above the structure or the magnificent castle itself. I could almost feel their penetrating gaze as they flew overhead. We were trespassing, uninvited, but I hoped they would welcome us. I was fascinated by the multiple layers of intricate arches, dark, decorative stone, and massive buttresses. The gothic beauty of the grand place took my breath away. It was definitely an irresistible magnet to the eye. Is it cursed? Haunted? What secrets lie beyond those walls? I wondered, as the wind blew in my direction and smacked me in the face with the putrid stench of decay.
Jesse darted down the path ahead of us to scout it out.
“What is a gargoyle anyway?” I asked Julie.
“C’mon! You know.”
“Not really. I mean, I’ve seen them on buildings and in books, but what are they really? Where are they from? Are they magical? Do they turn into stone? What?”
“I only know as much as you do. They’re meant to protect buildings and such, like this castle. Didn’t Jesse give you a gargoyle history lesson?”
“He doesn’t remember much about them,” I said. “I think this is new territory for all of us.”
“Hmm. Well, that’s not very comforting. Our vampy tour guide on this little homecoming has no idea who lives here? Gee. I feel a whole lot safer now.”
“I know a little about them,” Grant said. “Apparently, they have their origins in the mixing of a vampire and a dragon line.”
“Really?” I asked.
“There was an ancient war because the races had mixed. The dragon priest demanded that the spawns be exterminated. The vampire lord was infuriated and destroyed the dragons, but the vampires allowed the gargoyles to live, as long as they swore to stay hidden from the world. A few clans flourished in different places around the globe.”
“Interesting,” I said.
I wondered where Jesse was, and I wished he’d hurry back. Thoughts of him flooded my mind, giving me comfort. Jesse was the oxygen I couldn’t live without, everything I’d ever needed, and my love for him would never change. I had to fight for us because I knew we were meant to be together, no matter what kind of supernatural forces came up against us.
“Look at you,” Fred said. “We’re all freaked out, and you have a giddy smile on your face. What gives?”
“Nothin’ much. Just thinking about Jesse.”
“Jesse, huh? I guess I was wrong about the guy. I mean, he has stuck by you through thick and thin. If you’re happy, Taylor, then I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks, Fred.”
“I’ve got a question though.”
“Shoot.”
“How do you know it’s true love?”
I smiled. “When you don’t have to ask that question at all. If it’s real, you’ll have no doubts.”
“I agree,” Julie said. “How about you, Grant?”
“Relationships are like fire,” he responded. “You need space to breathe, yet you still need lots of wood to keep the fire going strong.”
Julie let out a sigh. “We’re talking about true love, not relationships.”
“What’s the difference?” he asked, peering out through a narrow crack in the rocks.
“Gee, thanks, Romeo. Here I was, hoping you would declare your undying love for me in front of Fred,” she said.
Fred nudged her. “C’mon, Julie. You’re dating a werewolf, not a poet.”
She laughed softly, her long, blonde hair flying everywhere. “See what I have to put up with? That’s what I get for dating a muscle-head.”
“More like a fur-ball,” Fred joked.
Ignoring our banter, Grant peered through the gap again, then down at Julie. “I will always be there for you, Julie.”
She grinned. “See? He adores me.”
“You’ve got yourself a supernatural hottie,” I said.
We all chuckled, but we were quickly jolted back to reality when we heard the beating of powerful wings. A gargoyle screeched through the ominous clouds right above us. I hoped it wasn’t a carnivorous predator. Jesse had told me he remembered them being friendly, but the sky certainly didn’t look so hospitable. The supernatural nightmares were quite unlike anything I would have imagined really living on Earth, but I could have said the same thing about my traveling companions and my boyfriend.
Julie flattened herself against the boulder. “Did it see us? What if it swoops down and attacks?”
With our eyes wide, we all kept stealing skyward glances at the flying beasts.
“I don’t think it’ll attack,” I said. “But don’t we want them to see us? I mean, isn’t that why we came?”
“You two stay here,” Grant said, pulling Fred’s sleeve. “I don’t know where Jesse took off to, but we’ll go check it out.”
After the guys walked away, I kept vigil and watched the flying creatures through the gaps in the rocks.
Julie started to breathe heavily, clearly freaking out again. We’d never been exposed to those sorts of experiences, so it was perfectly natural to be scared. It was as if someone had somehow thrown us into some horrible storybook, and we had no idea what was going to happen on the next page.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Stop breathing like that. It’s kinda creeping me out.”
“But Taylor...” she said, whimpering. “That isn’t me.”
Goosebumps rose on my skin as I slowly turned around and met Julie’s terrified gaze. The breathing was so labored, so deep, so chilling, and it was coming from behind us. Julie grabbed my shaking hand, and we both looked into the dark woods but didn’t see anything.
“Let’s go!” I said.
As we turned to leave, I was confronted with a medieval gargoyle, except this one wasn’t stone and living on top of Norte Dame Cathedral. This one was alive and breathing and standing right in front of me. The grotesque, demon-like creature had a black, muscular body and blood-red, glowing eyes. It had to be about eight feet tall. Its face looked like a cross between a pit bull and a bat. It was hairless and only displayed thick, leathery skin. With those long claws, I knew it could easily rip my face off with the skill of an experienced predator. It had a gaping mouth, pointed teeth, and pointy ears, and its tongue was long and protruding. It looked like something straight out of the belly of Hell, and for a moment, I wished it would go back to whatever pit of darkness it had slithered out of.
Shrieking, it spread its wings, then flew off as Julie and I screamed. I watched as the winged beast took flight high into the dark sky. It easily exceeded 100 miles an hour.
“Are we actually in Hell?” I whispered. All sorts of dark thoughts began to race through my head. Are we heading to a place for lost souls, a place for the damned? Are those things demons or guardian angels? Does mankind have any idea of what is actually lurking on this planet, that we are living among forces so much more powerful than we are? The immortal world went deep, and human beings were completely oblivious. Truly, I was living in a world that made no sense.
I could only assume the frightening, demonic creature must have been perched in the tree before it jumped in our path. I knew if it had wanted to hurt us, it would have already easily done so. It was hard to believe Jesse was conceived, born, and raised in a place like that, among those creatures. I didn’t see how he could have slept at night knowing those things were circling outside his bedroom window.
Suddenly, Grant and Fred burst through the foliage in a blur, summoned by our screams.
“What’s wrong?” Fred shouted. “Are you okay?”
“We saw one!” Julie said. “It came right behind us. I just...froze. I couldn’t...”
Grant hugged her. “It’s all right. It didn’t attack you. That’s a good sign. We shouldn’t have left you alone.”
I had to agree with him on that. I felt uneasy, I had no idea where Jesse was, and I was beginning to question our decision to go to France in the first place. We didn’t even have permission to tread on their land, and I didn’t know how they’d feel about a mere human stumbling into their front yard without an invite.
Finally, Jesse came back. He softly touched my arm. “I heard you scream,” he said. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m fine. One jumped out, then flew away. I just got spooked. Did you see anything? Talk to anyone?”
“I saw no one,” he said.
“Looks like we’re gonna play Air Traffic Control and flag down one of the creatures,” Fred said over the groans coming from high above us.
Grant turned to Jesse. “Do you remember anyone other than your father?”
“I was little, and I don’t remember much.”
I squeezed Jesse’s hand. “Try to remember, baby. How did you get up and down the mountain?” I asked.
Jesse pondered for a minute. “I-I recall a main road, on the other side of the mountain. I remember lots of guards. If I’m thinking correctly, there was a big guard station and a huge, electric fence.”
“Good. Then let’s go pay ‘em a visit,” Fred said.
Grant nodded. “I do prefer the direct approach.”
Julie looked at me, then back at the guys. “Are you sure, fellas? Maybe we should talk to the humans during the day.”
“We can’t wait, Jules,” I said. “We’ve come too far. Let’s go talk to them. We’re here for a reason, and we need to let them know it.”
“When we talked about this little French getaway, I wasn’t expecting them.” She pointed up.
“You knew,” I said.
“Yeah, but it’s a whole lot different seeing them in person.”
Fred shook my shoulder. “Incoming!”