Gargoyle time

Roland's memories of the gargoyles were unpleasant, but he imagined Naomi's were much worse. He stood, tucking the blankets around Finn's shoulders. Her shivering had slowed almost to a complete halt. 

Could she walk? 

He scooped her up, Lily still in her arms, and moved quickly away from the outer walls.

"Get to the center of the house." He said to Naomi. "The pantry in the kitchen. Away from windows and doors. You three are the only females in the house." 

He frowned. He wanted to send them to the root cellar to be even further from the gargoyles, but there was still the risk of goblins tunneling up from underneath them. 

"Close and bar the door." He set down Finn in the room, sorry that it couldn't be warmer in here. He turned to Naomi. "Keep her warm." 

"Ivan and Roen!" Finn protested. 

"I'll bring them to you, and Gabe as well. Your father and I will defend the house." 

He briefly considered whether he had a greater duty to report to defend the entire city instead of just his own home. He would think more about that after he got his sons to relative safety. 

He shut the women into the pantry and hurried to his room. Gabe and Phillip were hovering over the cradles anxiously, and Roland's sudden appearance startled them both. 

"Gabe, get Roen. Let's go. Phillip, get a sword or whatever weapon you have and meet me in the living room." Roland's quick words were met with instant obedience as he picked up Ivan. 

He wondered whether it was fear that drove them, or if he was becoming more authoritative as the situation deteriorated within the city. 

Roland led Gabe to the pantry, where the women huddled with a lamp. Once the babies, child, and ladies were settled with blankets, the man kissed his wife and each of his children. Finn grabbed his arm, worry etched across her features. 

"I'll be all right," He smiled briefly. 

"No--I mean, yes, please be all right, but I wasn't going to say that." A crease formed between her eyebrows. "The box, from the tunnels. I think we have to destroy it." 

"Are you sure?" He paused, indecision on his face. 

"No, it's just a feeling." Finn dropped her gaze. 

Roland nodded, kissing her again with a reassuring nod. He closed the door with instructions for the group to barricade it as best they could from the inside. 

When he'd come in the house carrying Finn, he'd discarded his sword in a rush to get her warm. He reattached it to his belt now, and retrieved his Rhone war-spear, just as Phillip appeared with his own sword. Though the man had been too old to do a year of service to Klain, he had gone out of his way to get some instruction in warfare. 

He had gone into battle once unprepared, and against his will. He had nearly died as a result. 

"Are you all right?" Roland didn't really have time to coddle the man if he wasn't, but he needed to know now if his father-in-law would be unable to fight alongside him. 

Phillip lingered for a moment in self-evaluation. 

"I will defend my family." He said after a moment, holding Roland's eye contact. The younger man nodded. 

The next question was whether to venture outside, taking an offensive role in driving away and killing the vile creatures, or remain inside, a reactive, purely defensive force? 

The latter was obviously safer, but did not benefit anyone besides the household. To venture out meant potentially eliminating threats and saving other lives. Yet, it also risked drawing attention to this house in particular, and bringing threats closer to it. 

Roland took a deep breath, and a knock sounded at the door. 

He hesitated for only a moment. Gargoyles certainly didn't knock, and he imagined goblins wouldn't either. 

Motioning Judah to one side, Roland opened the door to find one Klain soldier, and a dozen Rhone. 

All saluted. 

"Sir!" The Klain solder elbowed the Rhone out of the way to speak first. "The General requests a report on Serafina's health and wellbeing!" 

Roland blinked. "She will survive, barring complications or further attacks." 

The man saluted again, apparently having achieved his required task, and took off running. Roland almost called out after him to tell him to destroy the items from the box, but Finn's indecision held him back. If the battle could be won without doing so... 

One of the twelve Rhone soldiers interrupted his contemplation. 

"Your Highness!" He bowed. "Your children, they are inside?"

"Yes, with my wife," Roland confirmed, standing still across the doorway. 

"We have been sent to guard the heirs of Rhone with our lives." The soldier lowered his head slightly. "By order of King Duncan, we are at your disposal for how best we may protect your family. He wished he could send more, but the city, you can see, is under great attack." 

A bubble of relief welled up in Roland's heart. This was perhaps the first time he was glad to be a prince. His children were priorities. To be protected, specially. 

And now he didn't have to make the choice of the house being guarded inside or outside. He could do both. 

"You two, come inside. This is my father-in-law, Phillip. He will show you where the women are. You are to listen for signs of trouble or goblins coming from underground, and be the last line of defense should anything get in. 

"The rest of you, with me. We will defend the street, creating a perimeter of safety around the house as well as killing as many enemies as we can so that the battle might end more quickly." 

The soldiers saluted and quickly followed orders. Without being asked, Judah followed Roland outside, squeezing his shoulders through the human-sized doorway. 

Roland realized how focused he had been on Finn, to the exclusion of the rest of the world. The wind whirled and whipped, pelting snow at every surface. Occasional thunder rattled the air. The screeches of gargoyles were much more prominent outside the walls of his comfortable home. 

The Rhone Prince passed the spear from one hand to the other, feeling its familiar weight. Though he hadn't trained with it much in recent days, it still felt like second nature to balance it in his loose grip as he waited for the opportunity to propel it to its purpose. 

The snow was deepening around him, and visibility was low within the blizzard. He could only barely see the nearest streetlamps, which amply lit the way on normal occasions. 

He wondered how long it would be until sunrise, and if they would even be able to tell through the storm. He swallowed with the realization that although goblins were, according to legend, unable to be out in sunlight, if the sun remained thoroughly hidden, perhaps they would be able to fight freely throughout the day. 

Roland hoped a large number had drowned in the tunnels, but he knew from the way that they climbed walls and ceilings that it was unlikely that all had perished. 

A low sound, like the swoop of a wing, came from behind, and Roland spun. With a thrust of his spear into the air he blindly attempted to take down the threat from above. 

He missed, but an enraged screech told him it hadn't been by much. Judah grunted slightly, leaping into the sky and snatching the beast out of the air with his teeth. 

As the enormous cat landed back on the snowy earth, he summarily decapitated the gargoyle, then spat its head out at Roland's feet with a cheerful chirp. 

It was grotesque, but the prince forced a smile onto his face. 

"Thank you, Judah. That was… extremely helpful. I don't need the head next time, though. Please feel free to eat it or dispose of it as you wish." 

The sizeable feline gagged theatrically. Apparently gargoyles were not particularly delicious. Understandable. 

The Rhone soldiers stood warily in a semicircle facing outward from the house. Several had spared nervous glances over Judah's antics. 

Roland couldn't tell if they were nervously examining the body of the abomination the creature had killed, or if the anxiety was directed at Judah himself. Either was relatable just now. 

The wind shifted slightly, and everything seemed to go calm for a moment. It made sense that few gargoyles would attack a group of well-armed men in the middle of the city. They were looking for females, after all. 

The thought of using bait to lure them was distasteful, but neither did Roland want to venture far from his home trying to hunt the animals. They needed to be eliminated, one way or another… 

Judah jumped suddenly, and whirled, the fur down his spine rising, and his ears flattening to his head. 

His color was changing as well, with his grey fur turning almost as white as his spots. The blizzard must be affecting him. 

The garden that Finn so carefully tended was right next to their home. Judah hissed at it. 

"Be ready, men!" Roland called, pointing. They closed in, surrounding the snow-covered patch of dirt. 

He brought his spear down into both hands in a ready position, leaning onto the balls of his feet. The snow was moving subtly. 

He tried to breathe deeply and evenly, but then the snow began to move in half a dozen other places. Signaling with one hand, Roland spread the men under his command to cover the area. It seemed the real battle was about to begin.