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"Where are we?" Brooklyn asked.
"Not where," a voice said, "when." Brooklyn turned and saw a gargoyle that he had never seen before. She was tall, dark-skinned, and wore a white flowing caftan. Brooklyn didn’t know who this was, but the others did.
"Casha!" cried Mikaia and Shaunsha.
"Mommy!" Lilah cried as she ran to Casha.
"Mommy?" Brooklyn repeated, puzzled.
"Yes," said Casha as she looked around her, "everything will be explained shortly, but I fear that we are not safe here."
"I don’t see Shaunie!" Lilah suddenly exclaimed.
"I am here," a strangely familiar voice answered, "don’t worry Munchkin."
"Who…?" Shaunsha started, but she fell silent as a figure emerged in a swirl of glittering magic. The figure was Shaunsha, but an older Shaunsha. The older Shaunsha smiled.
"How? Wha? Who? How?" Mikaia sputtered as she looked back and forth at one Shaunsha and then another. The younger Shaunsha shook her head.
"I think it’s beginning to make sense," she said.
"Okay, I don’t know who you are or what is going on or even where we are, but I think that I deserve some explanations!" Brooklyn finally demanded.
"I already told you," Casha said as she scooped up Lilah, "the question isn’t where it’s when. We have stayed here too long already. We must return to the castle." She then turned, spread her wings, dove off the rooftop, still carrying Lilah, and glided toward the Eerie Tower. The others quickly followed.
"This is the future, isn’t it?" the younger Shaunsha asked her older self as they glided. "You went back to our time to keep an eye on Lilah. You were Shaunie." The older Shaunsha nodded. "But the one thing that I don’t understand is why I couldn’t see you. I can always see whoever or whatever I make invisible!" The older Shaunsha smiled.
"Our power becomes stronger with time," was the reply. "After all, in the nursery we could barely make things translucent." They both chuckled.
"I should have thought of that," the younger smiled.
Shortly they were alighting on the roof of the castle.
"Hello," a man greeted them. "I see that the rendezvous went as expected."
"Yes Alex," Casha smiled.
"Alexander?" Brooklyn awed. "Alexander Fox Xanatos? But you were only a baby!"
"Brooklyn," the younger Shaunsha explained, "don’t you see? We traveled in time through Lilah’s Phoenix Gate. We’re in the future. Alexander was only a baby then, but he’s a grown man now. What is this now, two thousand forty?"
"Thirties," Owen said as walked toward the group. "Hello Brooklyn, Shaunsha, and Mikaia."
"Then shouldn’t the others be here too?" Brooklyn asked as he looked at the empty turrets.
"The others are looking for Banshea," answered Owen. "In general practice it also is not a good idea to meet your friends in the future. However, Miyama, Ghy, and Griff are inside."
"Aunty Banny always said that you shouldn’t learn too much about the future," Lilah added. She sighed as she wiped away a tear.
"But she also told you that the past cannot be changed, Munchkin," Casha added with a hug.
"I know," Lilah began to sob, "but I thought that maybe she was wrong!" "I know," Casha cooed, "I know."
"Has Aunty Banny come back?" Lilah managed to ask.
"No."
"Who is Aunty Banny?" Mikaia asked.
"It’s her name for Banshea," Griff explained as he approached.
"Daddy!" Lilah happily exclaimed.
"Griff!" Brooklyn cried. But then he paused, "daddy?" Griff laughed.
"Brooklyn old chap! Er, yes, I suppose I am a daddy. How are you doing Fledgling?" Griff directed his last comment toward Lilah.
"I see you’ve succeeded?" asked a young gargoyle as she entered the room, followed by another. The first gargoyle had long, brown, curly hair tied in a ponytail. Her wings were caped, and hid most of her body.
The second gargoyle was only slightly taller than the first. Her black hair was in a stiff braid. She wore a short-sleeved, hooded sweatshirt and matching shorts. She never spoke, and never really appeared to be paying attention. She was always staring into space.
"Ghy, we’ve only got these three. We still have no idea where or when she is," Casha answered the first gargoyle.
"We do, or we will. Before Banshea left she warned us. We know that she’s coming," Ghy replied as she sat down.
"Who are you?" Brooklyn asked.
Ghy smiled, "I’m Ghy, and this is my cousin Miyama." At the mention of her name, Miyama briefly directed her attention toward Ghy, and then toward Brooklyn. She smiled, and returned to blankly staring out the window again.
"What is going on, anyway?" Mikaia suddenly demanded. "Why are we here? For all we know, Banshea could be wiping out the human race in the stone age! Why aren’t we doing anything?"
"We know when Banshea will next appear," Griff replied. "She warned us just before she left, she saw it in a vision, and I confirmed it."
"You, Griff?" Brooklyn asked.
"When you’re on a quest for Merlin, you pick up a thing or two!" Griff laughed.
"Merlin?"
"That doesn’t matter now! What good does it do to be here when Banshea’s not?" Mikaia suddenly shouted. Griff looked annoyed.
"Shut up!" Casha scolded. "Mikaia, we know that there isn’t any good being out looking for her now, she isn’t here!"
"Actually," Griff said after he had become silent for a moment, "she is!"
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