The Talking Gargoyle Part 9

Ariana tossed herself at the Spellcrafter, but the magic in the form of the earth itself kept her from getting to him. The ground reached up swallowing her feet and pulling her to the mud face first. She hit the earth hard but had time to glanced up to see the same thing happening to Raven.

                The Knight tried his best to beat at the stone around his legs, but nothing was happening. He was bound to the ground and quickly move to try to hit the squirrels taking Lona from the doe.

                “I’m sorry this had to happen,” the Spellcrafter said, “but I fear, either one of you would understand what I’m trying to do.”

                “I’m going to find you,” Raven growled.

                “Good luck then,” he said turning on his heel, only to have his hood ripped from his head by a throwing knife from Ariana. He hissed back at her showing his face to them. The face of the ex-father with this long beard hissing at her.

                “I missed,” she told him smiling.

                “We should kill them now,” one of the giant squirrels said.

                “No,” Zeal said shaking his head. “They were only trying to protect the child.” He petted the back of Lona’s head.

                “Get your paw off of her,” Ariana shouted at him.

                “Let’s go,” Zeal told them.

                “Come back here,” the Thief keeping screaming trying to break free from the stone around her feet.

                “Ariana, stop,” Raven ordered her, and she did so hissing at him.

                “Why?”

                “If he wanted us dead then he would have done so,” Raven said. “The question is what is going on with her?”

                “What do you mean?”

                “I wonder if he made that sickness,” Raven said looking down at her, “and that is why he lost his church.”

                Ariana didn’t think of about any of the whys of what is going on because she wanted to get to Lona. She still didn’t care about the whys and only wanted to get to Lona. She had to get the child back, safe, and get her home, that was the only thing that matter.

                An hour later the rocks crumble away, and they were both free. The biggest problem was both their feet were asleep, and they both fell to the ground trying to wake up their feet.

                “Ah, I hate this, I hate this,” Ariana cried rubbing her legs.

                Once their feet were awake, they got up and raced after Zeal, not sure which path he went down, but they were heading for the church to see if he was there. Raven kicked the door in of the old church, and the air told him no one had been in there for years. The whole place was covered in dust, and there was no sign of anyone walking around. He wasn’t here and hadn’t been here in a long time.

                 Ariana turned on her heel rushing out of the church garbing the first squirrel walking by and pulling them close to her face. “Do you know where the old father of this church is?” She asked the scared squirrel.

                The shocked passerby couldn’t speak for a moment, so Ariana asked harder this time again.

                “No, I don’t,” the squirrel said, and Ariana let her go looking for someone else to ask.

Raven reached out taking her shoulder and pulling her back to him. “I’m sure there is a better way to find him than this.”

“Oh, really, how then?” She asked him.

“By asking them,” Raven said pointing at the tow City Guards walking down the street.

The tow City Guards studied them both for a moment not sure if they trusted the Knight and the other squirrel in front of them, but after a moment and both of them set their eyes on the Dogwood flower above Raven’s heart on his armor telling them, he was a real Knight. One of them asked, “Father Whitechurch?”

“I believe so,” Raven said realizing he was the Spellcrafter Emma was going to send them to. He wondered if she was the one who told him where they were. “We just know him as Zeal.”

“Right, Father Zeal Whitechurch,” the Guard said.

“Didn’t he die?” The other Guard asked.

“No,” his friend said, “he lives not too far from him. I think he runs the Spider Cross Inn or lives there, I’m not sure.”

“Uh, that’s Father Zeal,” the Guard said nodding.

“Thank you,” Ariana said pulling on Raven arm, but he stopped her to asked them.

“Why did you lose his church?”

“I think he was playing around with magic and the Hoods found out,” the Guard said. “Instead, of killing him, they took his duty away.”

“Thank you,” Raven said to them both now walking away.

They started to head for Spider Cross Inn, and it was far easier to find than Ariana thought it would be. Outside of the Inn was a nice crowd of squirrels all carrying weapons at their sides, drunk, and laughing which is not looking good at it.

“Guess we can’t just rush in,” Ariana said dipping back into the alleyway to look up at Raven.

“We are not even sure he is there,” the Knight said. “I doubted he would carry Lona thought the front door.”

“So, we find the back way in?” She asked.

“Not me,” Raven said. “You are better at this than me.”

Ariana smiled at him, patting him on the chest, and said, “I’m better than you at a lot of things.”

He huffed and then told her, “Look and see if he there and then come back.”

“Right,” she said looking back at the Inn and the group.

“Ariana,” Raven said pulling her eyes back to him, “I mean it, don’t fight him, come get me. Even if you see Lona. You can’t take him alone.”

“Oh, I’m sure I can,” she said.

“Promise me you will just look,” Raven said in a soft tone.

“Are you worry about me?” She asked jokey.

“A little, yes,” he said. “So, promise me.”

“Fine, fine,” she said waving away his worry. “I will just look and then come back. Good to know you care so much.” Raven sighed as Ariana walked across the street hiding in the shadows and then climbing up on top of the roofs.