The Other Clans

Escape

Hudson had long ago followed Lilias' lead, having sat down in the center of his cell. Lilias herself had gotten bored and had started chipping away at a stone shard of her skin with intricate patterns. Finally Xanatos walked into the room and inspected the cauldron.

"The soup's cooking nicely," he commented.

"You've obviously gone to a lot of trouble," Hudson grumbled from his cage. "Had to carve your statue weeks in advance. But tell me something... why me?"

"Because you're old and getting older." Xanatos looked down at Hudson. "I thought you might even appreciate the opportunity."

"Growing old terrifies you, doesn't it?" he asked wisely.

"Nothing terrifies me," Xanatos exclaimed, "because nothing is beyond my ability to change. What about you? Still wasting your evenings in front of a television set? You're of little use to your clan, you might as well be of some use to me."

"Hudson is far from useless!" Lilias yelled as she jumped to her feet and grasped the bars tightly. "And you and your oversized ego can feel free to take a hike if you wish to discuss the matter further." She ignored the heat running through her palms to the pit of her stomach.

"You aren't really in a position to be threatening me," Xanatos told her smoothly. "Yours and Hudson's abilities are useless in those cages."

"Open this cage and I'll show you just how useless I am," Hudson said as he rose to his feet. When Xanatos looked back, he punched his other hand as he growled threateningly. Xanatos just continued walking and Hudson started to pace again. Lilias huffed as she let go of the bars and inspected her hands. There wasn't a visible burn on either of her hands and they were both cool to the touch.

"That's... odd," she muttered under her breath as she sat back down. She didn't notice Hudson reach down and grab a shard of his own stone skin and held it close to his body as he and Lilias turned to stone for the day. The following night, he tucked the shard into his belt with a smile. Xanatos walked in soon after to check on the cauldron.

"Your bath is ready Hudson," he said as he pressed a button on his remote and the robotic gargoyle activated and walked over to Hudson's cage.

"Listen to me Xanatos," Hudson warned. "What you seek demands a heavy price." The bars deactivated and the robot grabbed the old gargoyle. Lilias sprung to her feet and held back a furious roar. It restrained both of his arms as it lifted him off the ground. "I've been alive for over eleven-hundred years. Most of my clan is dead and dust, and I am a stranger in a strange land. Demona and MacBeth are Immortal, has it brought them happiness?"

"Save your breath Hudson," Xanatos said as he lifted Hudson's sword. "Death and old age have their price as well. And it's too expensive for me."

"And how rich are you?" Lilias questioned. "If you have enough money to move an entire castle from Scotland to America then I doubt that death is 'too expensive for you.' I just think that you're being a scared little boy and running from your nightmares."

"I told you," Xanatos seethed, "nothing scares me because nothing is beyond my ability to change."

"Just keep telling yourself that Xanatos," she quipped.

"Enough," he snapped and pressed a button on his remote and the robot dangled him above the cauldron. Hudson struggled in the thing's grasp. "Let's see history in the making, shall we?" Xanatos asked as he flipped Hudson's sword in his hands.

"NO!" Lilias screeched, feeling the warmth build up in the back of her throat yet again. Only this time, she didn't stop it. She barely registered Hudson pull the stone shard from his belt and stab the robot before it was hit full force with her flames. Hudson kicked free and body checked Xanatos to the ground, picking up his sword as he did so. Lilias turned her flame to the bottom of her cage, effectively deactivating the bars. She then leapt towards her friend, landing with a soft thud. Xanatos' assistant came running at the commotion and Hudson eyed him triumphantly as he held his sword in between them.

"Behave yourself boy," he threatened with a smile.

"I underestimated you." Xanatos looked past Hudson to Lilias as he regained his feet. "Both of you. Very resourceful, using your own skin as a weapon. It also looks like your abilities are greater than I originally thought." He turned serious and looked at them. "I suppose you'll destroy the cauldron now."

"And why would I be doin' that?" Hudson asked as he sheathed his sword. "What you choose to do with your life is your own affair. As long as it's got nothin' to do with us."

"You're just full of surprises," Xanatos said, looking impressed.

"A friendly word of advice," Hudson started as he turned to leave, Lilias following behind him. "True immortality isn't about living forever man. It's what you do with the time you have. When all your scheming's done, what will be your legacy Xanatos?" With that, the two turned and left the two humans with the bubbling cauldron.