A Birth day

Ruby and Radagast followed Marcus as they heard the clang of several doors Ruby extinguished her wand and they now moved in the semi dark of the hallway. Hearing Marcus Radagast chuckled " with pleasure"he said Ruby heard Marcus call to angus and she heard his response glancing at Marcus she knew he could tell something wasn't right with Angus. Soon she saw why seeing a large wrack and there on it was Angus. Radagast went to the gears " I'm on it, don't worry" he said and pulled the handle making them go in reverse . Ruby went to Angus other side as the chains released and let him lower his arms down . Seeing the locks Ruby cast alohomora on the lock and it popped open clattering to the floor.

Radagast took out a magic wrap from his pocket and smiled " thought you might need this" he said " oh and these " handing Ruby a does of pain potion in a small vial to her. Ruby popped the top and offered it to Angus.

"it should hold you till we're out of this place" she said hoping he would drink it. " I make sure to get some fire whisky once were back home" she said with a smile. Radagast stood by the door way listening should the woman return.

" we should hurry in case she return" he said softly to them.

"Thank you," Angus sighed, relieved. Marcus took the magic wrap and wrapped it around Angus's shoulder while Angus used his good hand to take the pain potion. 

"Did you learn anything?"

"She's as mad as a hatter," Angus said, "but she holds her cards close. I haven't found out why she's doing this." The pain potion started to kick in, and he started to feel better. "Any sign of the others yet?"

"Not yet, but we'll find them," Marcus said. "Let's keep moving. Get your gear, Angus." Marcus pointed out to a table where his gear was laying. Angus went over and picked up his belt and went to fasten it round his waist, and Marcus saw a deep bruise on his arm. 

"What's that?" Marcus took Angus's arm and looked at it. "That's new. What's that from?"

"Haven't got the foggiest," Angus frowned. "Haven't seen it before."

"Okay. Well, we'd better keep moving, I guess," Marcus sighed. They left the room, and as an impulsive thought, Angus stopped and locked the door again to try to slow Pearl down half a step. 

"Maybe she'll think I'm still in there," Angus said. They kept working down the hallway and as they came around a corner, Angus ran smack into someone, and he raised his arm, ready to attack at the same time someone raised their arm to attack him.

"Angus!" Kate's voice called, relieved. "Thank God. Are you alright?" Angus took a look and saw that he was ready to clock Robert in the head, and Robert was ready to clock him. They both looked at each other and lowered their fists.

"You lot alright?" Robert asked. 

"Fine. You?" Angus replied.

"We're good," Robert said. "Better now that we're back to our original 13."

"You lot stink," Angus said.

"We went for a swim in something rather akin to a sewer, I think," Robert laughed. "Did any of you see Pearl?"

"Yeah. I did," Angus replied. "I think she's gone off this floor now, though."

"She had him chained to a rack in a torture chamber back down the hall," Marcus said. Robert reached up automatically and touched Angus's forehead. He frowned. Then he took hold of Angus's arm and found the bruise. 

"She's been at you, hasn't she?" Robert asked. "This is her work."

"i dont remember how I got that."

"I can tell you how. She's drawn off some of the energy out of your magical system. Not a lot. Just a bit. Rather like a muggle blood test. That's what's caused this mark."

"What's she after?" Marcus asked.

"Dunno, but I'm starting to get my suspicions," Robert said. "We need to find her and get her secured before she can kill again."

All the group of Joseph , Jack, Aria and Ruby along with Radagast nodded they agreed as they had met with the others. Radagast took a third vial from his pocket and handed it to Joseph who held it for a moment . " just drink it" Jack said next to him " can't have you passing out half way threw this mission" he said and chuckled " don't want to carry your ass back to the duplex" Joseph chuckled and downed the potion feeling the massive head ace that had started now ease off .

"its just an anti venom potion" Radagast said " even with your own body being immune it needs help " he said and Joseph wondered how he knew but stopped when Radagast lifted his arm to show two red spots.

"oh well thank you, sir" he said and heard Robert talk to Angus " but have you had any thoughts on how we actually do that?" he asked Robert then added " sir" after. Ruby was glad to see Angus almost back to his normal self but didn't like that witch had taken blood from him or rather his energy's.

Angus and Marcus focused themselves on trying to remember where they had heard the sound from when Pearl had walked away. They tried to follow it, and then, finally, Michael called. 

"I have an up," Michael called.

"Good," Angus said.

"An up. Is that like a set of steps?" Edward asked.

"Most likely," Angus replied. They went to where Michael had opened a windowless iron door to reveal stone stairs going up. 

"How many steps do you suppose we cllimb til we find her?" Marcus asked, starting to go up.

"All of them," Angus said. 

"Git," Marcus laughed. They went up and up and up. As they reached the top floor, with one more long flight up to the tower, Angus heard Pearl's voice, and she seemed to be angry with something or someone. 

"More! We must have more!" she was screeching at someone. "I must have him! It must be his. How could you let him escape, you useless little toad!" 

"That's my cue," Angus said. Angus took a strong stride down the hallway and around a corner. He saw Pearl just about to kill the pukwudgie who was cowering on the floor, whimpering apologies and pledging loyalties.

"Leave him alone, Pearl," Angus said. "I'm the one you want." Pearl looked up, lost all interest in the pukwudgie and focused on Angus. Then she noticed the others behind him.

"Stop!" she screeched, raising both hands and casting a powerful spell. A wall of shimmering red light flashed up.

"No!!" Kate screamed, rushing towards Angus. Robert ran after her, grabbed her and pulled her back, wrapping both arms around her shoulders.

"It's a killing shield! Don't any of you try to go through. It'll kill you before you could make it," Robert said.

"He's alone!" Kate said. 

"Kate, he knows. He knows this one is for all the marbles, and she's not going to outfight him," Robert said, as Pearl cast another spell.

"Uh oh," Michael said with dread, recognizing the spell. "Wands up! Company's coming!" They began to hear what sounded like wrecking balls. But did wrecking balls go up and down stairs? They seemed to be approaching.

"Michael?" Marcus asked.

"Gargoyles. And statues. Enchanted by a much higher magic than a mere piertotum spell. This is elemental magic to protect her, and we're about to go up against them. Brace yourselves. They have no heart. They don't give a damn. They just plan to kill us."

The others followed Robert and Angus down the corridor to the stairs behind the large metal door , each looked as they heard Pearls voice from above them and with wands drawn followed behind them entering the room they spread out behind Robert and Angus when A wall of shimmering red light flashed up.all held their wands up ready to fight. Hearing Robert mention gargoyles from a much higher magic Jack made Joseph get behind him as he tested his muscles and elongated his claws ready to take down anything that got too close.

Aria took out her daggers and held them changing he stance ready to fight as Marcus had showed her as did Ruby , Ruby was focused on pearl and how Angus was segregated away from them again and this made her mad.

"This is stone, you lot. use your heads! Your blades won't work on granite. Its why we use granite as countertops--because knives won't hurt it. Put the damned blades and claws away," Marcus shouted. "Use your magic. Explosions. Think reducto, bombarda, expulso, confringo. Protect yourselves with shields."

The first of the granite statues reached their floor, and Marcus and Michael looked at each other. 

"You see what I see?" Michael asked.

"Uh huh," Marcus nodded. They made a wild dash towards the statue and then the grabbed the corners of the long carpet hallway runner and they worked together to give it a mighty yank. It pulled the statue off balance, and it fell backwards through the leaded glass window behind him. Marcus ran to the broken window and looked down. 

"Humans-1, Statue-Zip," Marcus grinned.

"Nice," Michael grinned. "One down and only about a million to go."

"You'd better be exaggerating. This castle doesn't have that many carpet runners," Marcus said. 

Kate was caught up for a moment watching Angus deal with Pearl. She wasn't gaining any ground with him because Angus was younger and faster. His slashing spells were cutting her, wounding her, but she wasn't surrendering. She was firing elemental spells at him, but he was dodging them. They weren't hitting him, and it was angering Pearl. Kate could see that Pearl was not used to having to do much fighting. She had grossly underestimated Angus.

"Focus, Kate," Robert said. "We have problems of our own. Look."

Gargoyles and statues were coming down from the tower and the balustrades, up from the floors below and from every other part of the castle.

"Take them down. Whatever you need to do to destroy them," Robert told them. "Just get them." Robert aimed at an iron chandelier and brought it down on a couple of smaller gargoyles and it managed to destroy one and break another in half. The two halves kept coming though. "Well, that's frustrating," Robert frowned.

Aria heard Marcus and slid the blades away taking out her wand and firing bombada at the gargoyles making one disintegrate into dust which she brushed off herself . Radagast looked to Marcus and smiled taking the bubbles form his pocket he tossed them to Marcus " use these too" he said throwing some at another gargoyle " nice toys Mr Lupin2 he said smiling as he fired at a gargoyle that was coming up on Joseph who was holding his own with protago and bombada.

Aria and Jack took down two more but more came behind them " we need away to take them all out, there just keep coming" Jack said to Marcus. Joseph fired bombada at the stairs taking them out making several fall down to the basement " now they cant get up here. " Jack said and chuckled as he swiped and took out two more by making them fly into each other.. Radagast blew up more and took down a book case that smashed to pieces but he blew his gargoyle up into bits.

Robert and Kate worked together and picked up one of the smaller gargoyles magically and threw it into one of the large ones, shattering the large one to bits. Marcus saw what they had done, and he used magic to pick up the half of one gargoyle that was still coming and chucked it into it's other half that was still coming. That shattered both halves. 

"Nice going," Michael grinned. He saw another coming up the stone stairs, and he had an idea. He took Hiss from around his waist and managed to lasso a marble finial on the top of the banister that went up to the tower. He climbed the rope to the top stair railing and then swung off, kicking the gargoyle over the banister to the ground floor far below, shattering the gargoyle, and then he retrieved Hiss who curled back up around his waist.

"At this rate, there isn't going to be much left of Pearl's castle," Marcus said.

"No great loss. She'll just steal somebody else's," Michael shrugged.

Angus kept fighting Pearl all on his own, and he could tell she was tiring. His youth gave him a clear advantage. She ran behind a tall red velvet drape, and he followed her only to find there a hidden passage that was closing. He dashed into the passage and saw it was a stairway up. He drew his rapier with his left hand and held onto his wand with his right, and he ran up the stairs.

The room at the top of the tower was a bedchamber. On the far wall was a massive four poster canopy bed with heavy velvet drapes that were drawn.

"How dare you come in here, you little guttersnipe," she hissed in rage at him.

"Your killing is going to stop here and now," Angus told her.

Jack and Joseph shattered two more but Joseph was waning and Jack could see it . he kept himself between the gargoyles and Joseph so he could catch his breath. Both heard Michael and Robert and chuckled " this place is half demolished anyway, we're just finishing the job" Jack said as Aria took out a gargoyle that was trying to get to Jack from behind. " thanks." he said and she nodded.

Ruby saw Angus disappear into a passage way as the entrance closed its self " well hes on his own now, unless ether of you know how to reopen that passage" she said motioning to a thick velvet curtain flowing in the wind around them.

"Trust him, Ruby," Marcus said. "If nothing else, he'll outdo her in speed and energy both. We don't have anyone faster than he is. We have to trust he knows how to hold out until either he finishes her or we find a way to get to him. Right now, we have to make sure these things don't crush us or we won't be able to help him."

"Ruby, get that little dude on your six," Michael ordered, seeing a small gargoyle rushing up behind her. 

"Get out!" Pearl shouted at Angus, throwing firebolts at him. Desperate, she flung a blade at him that he hadn't seen coming and it caught him in his shoulder, right through his magic wrap. It stunned him for a moment, and then he got angry. He fired a cruciatus at her, and she fell to the floor, writhing and screaming in pain.

"Pearl, stop," a fragile voice sounded from the bed, behind the curtains. Angss went over to the bed and, using his rapier, he slashed down the drepes on  one side. He was horrified.

There, in the bed was the saddest looking excuse for a human being Angus had ever seen. The man had no muscle mass left at all. He was extremely old, and there was nothing left of him but grayish skin draped losely over a skeletal form. Angus's heart instantly went out to the man.

"Pearl, stop," the old man begged. "Stop, for Merlin's sake."


"I still have time," she desperately aimed at Angus again.

"Avada..." she began.

"Avada Kedavra!" Angus shouted quickly, firing. Everything seemed, to Angus, to stop for a moment. Pearl looked aghast, frozen, shocked that someone had gotten to her. And then her spirit lifted out of her body and faded.

"Thank God, the old man wept. "Thank God. At long last. Bless you, young man." Angus realized quickly he wasn't feeling well at all, and he suddenly collapsed alongside the bed. 

"Her blade. It's the blade," the old man said. He picked up a small vial on his nightstand and took the cork out of it. Before Angus could react, the old man found the strength somewhere to pour the entire contents of the vial down Angus's throat. "Give that a moment, and you'll start to feel better."

It took Angus a moment to start to regain himself. 

"Who are you?" Angus asked, trying to sit up. 

"Elwood Sanders," he said. "She was my wife, my caretaker, and my jailer. I've been her prisoner here for 80 damned long hideous years."

"80 years? But why?" Angus frowned.

"I was diagnosed with a terminal illness. A disease to my magical system. I was 42. Pearl swore she'd find me a cure. What she found instead was an ability to drain another witch or wizard of their magical system's energies, and she would steal them and infuse them into me. It kept me alive but little more. And to do it, she had to kill--over and over and over. You don't know how long I've begged her to let me go, but she was never able to do it. And so I've been stuck here, languishing and suffering  for 80 long hideous years. I don't know who you are, but you are the answer to 80 years of constant prayer."

"I'm afraid I'm trapped here with you. She cast a magical barrier to separate me from my companions on the lower floors," Angus said.

"Over there," Elwood pointed. Angus looked and saw, on a pedistal, a bust of a beautiful woman's head. "There's a compartment in the pedistal. Open the compartment and put the necklace around her neck. That'll do it. Here." Elwood took off his wedding band. "You'll need this." Angus managed to get himself to his feet and he made his way to the pedistal, used Elwood's ring to open the compartment and put a huge jeweled necklace around the neck of the bust. 

At that moment, downstairs, the barrier went out. The gargoyles crumbled on their own into dust. Angus's energy left him, and his legs gave way. He fell to a seated position on the floor in front of the pedistal. 

"You won't die, but it may take you a bit to recover from her poison. It was one of her specialties, I'm afraid," Elwood told him. "What's your name?"

"Angus. Angus Donohue. I think you're the great grandfather of my wife. Charlotte was her grandmother."

"I have a great granddaughter?" he asked, tears running down his face. 

"And three great grandsons and a new great great granddaughter," Angus said. 

"You...are my son," Elwood was trying to absorb having a great grandson-in law, and great grandchildren. "She didn't kill you all, then. I have some family left. I thought she killed you all."