Christian followed his wife and son down a small insignificant lane. They stopped before a heavily graffitied wall.

"Okay, this is where they have opened a portal," Leo said. "Before we go, there are a few things you should know. Tweldor uses gargoyles as security. Where we're going is another dimension, so they are not ugly stone ornaments guarding a building, but a proud flesh and blood race. In their culture, prolonged eye contact is a sign of aggression. Don't stare, or look at them directly, until they have assessed you. They will make the first social moves, okay?"

"Um..." Christian was suddenly very nervous. "What happens if I offend one of them?"

"Well you wouldn't be around long enough to talk about it," Leo said seriously.

"Er..."

"Relax darling," Gianna tried to reassure him. "They are intimidating at first, but their task is to protect the Warriors. Besides Captain Mordecai, knows and respects us. He's a good guy, just follow our lead."

"Er, yeah...um...sure."

Gianna and Leo stood on either side of Christian, each of them taking him by the hand. "You might want to close your eyes, it's a little less disorientating," Gianna suggested.

"Close my eyes, are you kidding? I'm not missing this experience," Christian said.

Gianna shook her head. "Suit yourself love, but don't expect any sympathy from me if you throw up."

Christian didn't close his eyes. Nevertheless, he didn't see anything. He experienced a sensation akin to travelling in an elevator for a very tall building. His ears began to pop and he could no longer hear the sounds of the city. The air around him seemed to shimmy to some unheard tune. Nausea set in but he refused to give in to it. When his legs finally buckled beneath him, he realised he had fallen onto grass.

Rolling green hills greeted him and running water could be heard from a waterfall somewhere nearby. In the near distance, perched dramatically on a grassy knoll, was a dodecagon tower. The ground level had twelve doors of equal size and shape, any of which could have been the main entry. This was Tweldor.

"Which door do we head towards?" Christian asked. He was in awe of the natural beauty around him.

"No one knows," Leo replied. "Every door opens up to a different place so we wait until we're directed in. Besides that, we don't even know if you'll be permitted entry today, you may have to stay out here with Myrddin."

"Myrddin? I don't see him anywhere."

"The grounds are vast. He could be anywhere out here. I'm looking forward to meeting him, but I do hope you can come inside," Gianna said.

Christian nodded sullenly and slumped cross-legged on the grass. Almost as soon as he sat down, he heard the beating of leathery wings, which made him get to his feet again, quickly.

"Keep your eyes down, and don't say anything," Gianna instructed.

They were surrounded suddenly by twelve live gargoyles. All of them were armed. Unlike their stone counterparts, they were neither grotesque nor ridiculous. Their bodies were various shades of basalt—from dark dust red to the lightest yellow, dark green-grey to pale olivine, an almost silver-grey to charcoal black. They were strikingly tall, muscular, and strong, and their eyes were lavender in color. They had pointed ears often associated with elves and exaggerated canines, but otherwise, their features differed just as those of humans did. One of them, a male, addressed Gianna.

"My Lady, you are well?" He looked Christian up and down appraisingly. If he considered him a threat to Gianna or Leo, he would not hesitate to kill him.

"Very well Captain Mordecai, and you?" He inclined his head and bared his teeth but Gianna had long since learned that this was the way gargoyles smiled. "Let me present to you my husband, Christian."

Christian wasn't sure what constituted good manners in the gargoyle world, but he remembered not to look directly at Mordecai until invited to. Instead, he looked at his wife and said, "Gianna has told me how you have honoured her. I am grateful to you."

"We have not seen you at Tweldor before. You will need to be appraised before you are permitted to enter, but we will make you as comfortable as possible. My Lady, Master Leo, you may enter by the third door to your right," Mordecai gestured for them to go in.

"You'll be all right, Dad." Leo embraced his father. "Maybe you can find Myrddin, while you're waiting." He followed Gianna inside the citadel.

The gargoyles began to murmur amongst themselves. "You are friends with the warlock?" a young male asked Christian.

"Peace Balthazar!" Mordecai admonished. "You have no right to call him a warlock. His guilt is yet to be established."

"He practices dark magic. Does that not make the witch a warlock?" Balthazar asked, unrepentant.

"You know the term warlock is considered derogatory in the witch community, Balthazar. Do not use it again!" Mordecai used a tone that suggested there would be consequences if he did. Balthazar lowered his head and nodded meekly.

"I hear and obey," he said quietly.

"And what say you, husband of Gianna?" a female gargoyle asked Christian.

Christian did not hesitate to answer. "I say I do not know that he is guilty. I say I want to hear him tell me his story before I condemn him. I believe every man and er, gargoyle is innocent, unless it can be proven beyond reasonable doubt that they are not. Until I have irrefutable proof of his guilt, I say Myrddin is innocent!"

"The hairy human speaks justly," the same female gargoyle who had questioned Christian responded.

"Hairy eh? If you say so." Christian sighed and the gargoyles laughed.

"Pardon me husband of Gianna. I have always been fascinated by facial hair. Our kind only has hair on our heads. May I...feel it?"

"Aoife, you forget yourself!" Mordecai seemed horrified. "Forgive her Christian, sir. She means no offence."

"I am not offended. I am just as fascinated by your kind. I have never seen gargoyles before. May I look at you properly, directly?" Christian asked.

"Yes. Do you find us ugly?" Aoife asked.

"I find all of you magnificent!" Christian answered truthfully.

Boldly, Aoife reached out to touch his face. "Ooh, it is soft, like Ben's. The other one is prickly," she said.

"The other one?"

"She means the dark one, Myrddin," Balthazar explained.

"Ah yes, his beard is more like stubble. That is why it is not as soft." Christian laughed. He couldn't believe he was having such a trivial conversation with live gargoyle security guards. "Wait a minute. How do you know that Myrddin has a beard? He is in the form of a bird."

"The Domina changed him back for his appraisal," Mordecai explained. "It will be soon."

"May I see him?" Christian asked.

"I will take you to him," the captain announced.

A/N
Chapter Header - The Gargoyles. Unfortunately, I haven't found any images that really fit how I see the gargoyles in my imagination, but these photos will give you some idea. I have additional images in my book on Tweldorian aesthetics, "All Things Tweldorian," which you might want to take a look at. All photos are public domain.