by EM Malachi
Blood Spawn
Many years ago…
The gargoyle’s flesh had yellowed from the pickling brine used to preserve the body. Careful incisions covered the body, and the corpse’s heart and liver sat on a pair of scales. A heady incense filled the room to cover the smell of decay.
Relvinian pulled back the creature’s lip to examine its teeth. “A remarkable specimen. The ship captain just gave it to you?”
Turnius opened a notebook and started making notes. “I helped him many years ago, so he brings me oddities from his voyages. A storm forced his ship close to one of the southern islands. That’s where he found the creature.”
“Near Hythloth? So did you learn the secrets of demon magic from the autopsy?”
Turnius didn’t look up from his writing as he replied, “Gargoyles aren’t demons.”
“What do you mean? The physical attributes and magic are so similar.”
“Through a study of comparative anatomy, I have learned that this creature is as terrestrial and mortal as we are. It even had undigested fruits in its stomach.”
“That doesn’t explain their demonic magic.”
Turnius opened a book and handed it to Relvinian. “I believe that is a curse. These were transcribed from a cartouche found in Hythloth a decade ago. The gargoyles have their own written tongue separate from the demonic.”
Relvinian looked over the symbols on the page:
An-bal-sil-fer mon-le mur trak sadis esh an-in-tas. Lem-de crios in-flam-le ku daemon-ku bal. Tu de ben-kir asper-le kat-ku gargl. Lem est An-Kal-Lem.
“This means nothing to me. Could you translate?”
“Of course. Roughly, it says: The False Prophet led many to destruction. Their blood burned with unholy evil. Those of the Circle expelled these cursed gargoyles. They are the Banished.”
“If the gargoyles of Hythloth are cursed, does this mean there are other gargoyles somewhere?”
“I believe so. They would make an interesting control group. I could confirm that the demon curse is in the blood.”
Relvinian smiled. “Could I have a sample of this gargoyle’s blood?”
*****
The present…
To most people, it would have been just a blurry spot drifting through the night, but to Silamo, the comet on the edge of Sosaria’s solar system was the dream of a lifetime. The Moonglow telescope had allowed the gargoyle scholar to rediscover a comet that hadn’t been close to Sosaria in over ten millennia.
When the human astronomer Zachariah had invited Silamo to Moonglow to help solve a celestial mystery, Silamo saw an opportunity to find the comet An-ven Bal-sil.
Silamo was recording the current coordinates for the comet when he heard commotion on the other side of the telescope. He flew over the giant optics and saw several people in dark blue robes standing over an unconscious Zachariah.
Silamo dove at the group and made an arcane gesture. “You will not hurt my friend. Vas Zu!”
The sleep magic glinted off the group’s protective wards. Silamo was able to resist the reflection of his own spell, but not the successive blasts that tore him from the sky. When he crashed, the leader of the mages stepped forward. “We didn’t come for Zachariah, gargoyle.”
Relvinian drew a spike of blood spawn and pierced Silamo through the heart. “This is the first part of your rebirth.”