Night cloaked the city. A whisper of a breeze flushed the warmth from the stone cathedral. A lady was getting married and guests in formal attire filled the plaza, gas lamps lighting their procession. Alistair's claws gripped the stone ledge as the tower clock reverberated. Midnight had arrived and the wedding party filed inside, all but one.

A tall man stood alone in the flicking lamplight. His brow furrowed as he studied the cathedral. Then his chin rose. He took a deep breath as he strode for the opening.

Alistair stretched his serpentine neck. Lichen flecked free of his limestone torso. He unfurled broad wings and launched from his perch to land before the cathedral doors.

The man's face twisted into a snarl. "You would keep the bridegroom from his bride?"

Alistair roared in warning. "Daemons may not enter."

The man's torso twisted, wings erupted. Horns protruded from his temples. Clawed feet burst from his shoes. "I shall be married this night."

Alistair struck. The daemon bellowed in fury, and the two winged beasts tumbled across the plaza. The gargoyle's jaws sank into the daemon's neck and ripped it apart.

As wails of despair poured from the cathedral, Alistair sank back into a crouch upon the ledge, tucking his wings in tight. Below, the lady wept, grasping at the coat of her beloved.

Daniel, a monkey grotesque, cocked its head. "Perhaps the daemon only strove to transcend the form his was given."

That compassionate thought would haunt Alistair for centuries.

Photo manipulated
Original by Donovan Reeves