For information on China, Japan, or Persia see Guide to TGS Gargoyle Clans
Information compiled during August 2002 and updated in October 2000.
Brooklyn and Sata timedance into the Silk Road. Unfortunately, they turn to stone almost immediately and get separated during the daytime. Sata, during the daytime, was transported by a caravan run by Mesrour to be sold to the Caliph in the city of Samarkand. When Sata awoke, Mesrour was definitely going to sell her to the Caliph. Luckily, Brooklyn was found by a caravan run by Soul, while trying to find Sata. Soul offered to bring Brooklyn with him to Samarkand since that is most likely where Sata was taken. Brooklyn accepted. Sata met Haroun, the son of Mesmour, who was kind to her. When Mesmour arrived in Samarkand, he sold Sata to the Caliph to become part of the Menagerie. Sata met Melchior, a yeti and Darice, a were-cheetah. Sata used her knowledge of the future to convince Melchior to escape the Menagerie. The final step was when Sata told him of Li, a dragon, when there was no way Sata could have known about that ahead of time. Haroun managed to slip Sata's swords in a place for Sata to get them. The next day, when Sata awoke, she was handed her swords back. When Soul's caravan arrived in Samarkand, Soul was forced to sell Brooklyn to the Caliph. Sata and Melchior were asked to perform for the Caliph. When they were through, Darice danced for the crowd. Sata and Melchior took advantage of that to plot to escape. Sata freed Li and held Li's tail until Sata was high enough to glide. From there, she grabbed Melchior and transported him outside of the city. Then, Sata went back in the city to free Darice. The guards used Brooklyn to recapture Sata. Afterwards, Sata and Brooklyn were placed in the dungeon as punishment. Haroun with Melchior's help worked on a plan on rescue Brooklyn and Sata. Haroun met Soul who agreed to help Haroun free Brooklyn and Sata. Haroun's plan succeeded and Brooklyn, Sata, and Darice were freed. Brooklyn and Sata lead the group to the location of the Sanctuary they had found in the future. The group settled there, starting the Sanctuary. Brooklyn and Sata timedanced out and Melchior was concerned about Sata.
Brooklyn timedanced to the Sanctuary, after leaving Sata behind in the future. When Brooklyn awoke, Melchior wanted to know where Sata was and Brooklyn told him that Sata was in the future. The people at the Sanctuary heard a new mengaerie was formed and went there to rescue the creatures. Brooklyn, Melchior, Li, Darice, and Haroun went. Melchior fought Brooklyn on the trip there to find out about Sata. When the group got to the palace, they learned there was no new menagerie and had to fight to escape, but they found a gargoyle egg and a small yeti and managed to escape with them. On the trip back, Brooklyn lied to Melchior telling him that Sata died in the future. Brooklyn timedanced out and the Gargoyle egg hatched sometime after Brooklyn left. The newborn gargoyle was named Sata.
Brooklyn and Sata timedanced to the Himalaya Mountains for the first time and met Rani, human guardian of the Sanctuary. They learn the Sanctuary is a haven for misunderstood creatures and they learn of the founders of the Sanctuary - Melchior, a yeti; Darice, a were-cheetah; and Li, a dragon.
Coldsteel, with all the personalities of Othello, Desdemona, and Iago inside, visits the Sanctuary.
Arthur and his companions are wending their way through the Himalayas; Arthur's research discovered that the Grail was believed by some to have gone here after the end of the original Grail Quest, and he hopes that he can find it here. However, the search has its problems. The Himalayas are difficult to traverse, especially when one of your party members is a very ill teenaged boy (Merlin has to be carried by Arthur or Griff, or borne by a pack animal if they've got one, since he can no longer walk) - at least they're walking along mountain paths rather than scaling the mountain sides, which Merlin would find even more difficult in his current condition. After a difficult journey, however, they come upon the Sanctuary (cf. Timedancer) where they meet Rani, who tells them a little about the place and its origins - and how, as a result, she's anything but shocked to find that Arthur's companions include a griffon-like gargoyle and a werewolf. She mentions past gargoyle encounters here, such as Brooklyn and Sata, and even, strangest of all, a very unusual half-stone half-metal gargoyle who came here a few years ago, stayed there for a few months, then mysteriously disappeared without saying farewell. At present, however, she lives alone in the Sanctuary, except for an occasional visit from the dragon Li, the only surviving member of the original founders. Currently she is living elsewhere in the mountains, although Rani won't say just where. Arthur questions her about the Grail, but she admits that she knows very little about it. She does, however, notice that Merlin's doing even poorer now, thanks to the hardships of traversing the mountains, and points out that, just now, he should not be moved. She suggests that, while they search the surrounding area for traces of the Grail, they leave him here with her, that she might tend him. Arthur is uncertain about this at first, since he knows that they might well need to have Merlin at hand when they find the Grail, but finally agrees to it; there's still the problem of what to do if they find the Grail but learn that it can't be removed from its place of keeping, but they'll deal with that problem when they encounter it. Arthur's next thought is to find the dragon Li and question her; she may be able to know more. However, when he and Griff question Rani about Li's whereabouts, she remains unwilling to tell them; she knows that Arthur and Griff have valid reasons for seeking her, but Li's present location is one that she is sworn not to reveal. Arthur, recognizing the sanctity of a vow, calls off the questioning, rather than persuade Rani to break her promise. He, Griff, and Mary continue on, therefore, through the mountains. They travel forwards for a while, keeping their eyes and ears open for any signs that a dragon had passed by that way. They encamp briefly in a cave to rest from the travelling, a small cave to all appearances. But Mary catches a whiff of an odd odor, one that she can't identify, and goes searching for its source, Arthur and Griff joining her. The scent leads them to the back of the cave, where, by dint of searching, they discover a concealed entrance to a secret tunnel, burrowing deep into the mountains. They follow it, and emerge into a vast and very strange chamber. This cavern fills them with wonder. It contains a grassy meadow, with phosphorescent mosses growing upon the vaulted ceiling to provide light equal to a mildly cloudy spring day. Great shafts, mounted high in the ceiling above, provide fresh air. But what really arrests the travellers' attention is the animals living here. Salamanders bask and bathe in a secluded pool of lava. Rocs perch on high eyries, or fly about far above. There are giant ants (which do rather spook Mary, but fortunately offer no harm to the travellers), shrubs from which lambs grow, attached to the shrubs' branches, and even a small herd of unicorns grazing contentedly on the grass. Griff launches himself from a vantage point to glide about the cavern and explore it from above, while Arthur and Mary continue on their way on foot, planning to meet back with him in about half an hour. While they pause next to the unicorn herd, one of the unicorns sees Mary and walks over to her. It sniffs at her, looks briefly troubled, but then overcomes whatever fears it might have of her, and begins to nuzzle her. Mary, currently seated on a rock or tree stump, delightedly lets it lie its head in her lap while she strokes its mane. This idyllic moment is suddenly rudely interrupted, as three people (a man, a woman, and a teenaged boy, around 17 or 18), all dressed in old-fashioned central Asian-style clothes and bearing odd-looking rods, come upon them, taking Arthur and Mary quite by surprise. The man and the woman immediately accuse Arthur and Mary of attempting to snare the unicorn, no doubt planning to murder it for its horn; unicorn horns are very valuable, since they are sovereign against poison, and no doubt fetch a high price on the black market. Arthur and Mary protest at once that it wasn't like that, but their accosters don't believe them, and declare them under arrest, to be led off to their village. Arthur decides to go quietly; if these people are charged with enforcing the laws in this place, it would be inappropriate for him (as a man who belives whole-heartedly in rule by law) to resist them, and besides, maybe he can reason with them back in the village. So he and Mary let themselves be led away (although Mary might initially protest this decision, but be persuaded to it by Arthur). Along the way, they learn the names of their captors; the man is named Togrul, the woman is named Dictynna, and the youth is named Nyctimus. Nyctimus is clearly subordinate to Togrul (an apprentice of his, as it turns out). All three of them are Wardens (although Nyctimus is a Warden in training), and are, in some manner, responsible for all of these unusual animals, such as the unicorns, charged with tending them and protecting them from harm. Dictynna and Togrul certainly are ready to view Arthur and Mary as part of that "harm", although Nyctimus doesn't seem quite so certain (and also appears to be attracted a little to Mary, although she's not inclined to respond to him). Griff, in the meantime, in his gliding, spots a village below him, a small group of simple huts (much like the Sanctuary, if smaller), surrounding a tower, and sees that it is inhabited, mostly by humans (wearing the same style of clothing as the two who had arrested Arthur and Mary, and also bearing rods - these form a sort of uniform for them), although there are a few yetis there as well, and maybe other sentient beings (though no gargoyles). They look up and see him; Griff decides to land at once and explain that he's friendly. Fortunately, he doesn't have too much trouble convincing them of that. The people in this village know about gargoyles, although they (for the most part) have never actually met any; the one exception is Li, who lives here and recalls Brooklyn and Sata (as well as Coldstone from his visit to the Sanctuary). Li, by the way, has reached adulthood by now, and has developed one common feature of the Chinese breed of dragon; she can freely shape-shift into human form, and is frequently found in that shape while here rather than as a dragon on the grounds that the human form is smaller, takes up less space, and so is more convenient when indoors. (She will be found in human form throughout much of the story, including the trial scenes, but will adopt dragon form as well on occasion in it, when the dragon form suits her needs better). They crowd around Griff, asking him questions. Griff is in the middle of answering them when Arthur and Mary arrive with their captors. Togrul and Dictynna make their report to the other villagers, explaining that these were two trespassers whom they apprehended, engaged in an attempt at "unicorn-poaching", and have brought them here to decide what to do with them. Griff, astonished and a little alarmed at this turn of events, at once speaks up on behalf of Arthur and Mary, explaining that they're his friends and that they most certainly would not engage in harming a unicorn or any other animal here. After a bit of talking with the villagers, he persuades them to release Arthur and Mary, which they do, although Togrul, at the least, is still doubtful about doing this; it's clear that he doesn't trust the two newcomers. (His distrust does not extent to Griff, however; instead, he believes that these two duped the gargoyle into believing them to be friends - it's quite possible, from his point of view, for a gargoyle, particularly a forthright and honorable one such as Griff, to be deceived in this fashion). With the three companions reunited, Arthur and Mary learn now about Li's presence here (although, since she's in human form at the time, she's not quite what they were expecting), and, along with Griff, ask her about this place, explaining to her about how they met Rani along the way (and adding that she didn't betray Li's whereabouts to them; they discovered it on their own). Li, deciding that she can trust them, proceeds to explain to them. The Preserve is a sort of sister-site to the Sanctuary; while the Sanctuary is a place for persecuted and misunderstood sentients to live, such as humans, gargoyles, yetis, etc., the Preserve is for various species of endangered animals, primarily "mythical animals". After the Sanctuary was founded (some years after the events in "A Thought of the Heart"), some of the inhabitants of the Sanctuary discovered the Preserve, and the Elder Court passed the role of looking after it to them. These people are called Wardens; most are descendants of the original Wardens who were entrusted with the care of this place by the Elder Court, although a few of them (such as Nyctimus) are newcomers who found their way here in one manner or another, and elected to stay and help out. Each Warden is entrusted with the lore and care of a particular species of "mythical animal" here. For example, Togrul tends to the barometz or vegetable lambs (assisted by Nyctimus, who is apprenticed to him). Dictynna looks after the unicorns (the two of them work as a team at times, since the grazing grounds of the vegetable lambs and the unicorns are adjacent). A third, named Vorones, tends to the catoblepas, a species of "mutant buffalo"-like creatures that dwell in the marshlands at the other end of the Preserve from where the travellers entered; the catoblepas are the least popular of the various species here, because of their legendary "death-gaze", and Vorones finds himself to be somewhat ostracized among the other Wardens (who for the most part aren't too fond of the catoblepas on account of their nature, only tending them out of a resigned tone of "we can't pick and choose", but viewing their inclusion in the Preserve as a necessary evil) on account of this; it doesn't help that Vorones is precisely the sort of man who would be unpopular among a lot of people anyway, being a dour, grim loner, who clearly doesn't get along well with others. Li herself sees to the well-being of the rocs, and so on. Arthur and Griff wonder how these animals are able to thrive here, and so peacefully at that. After all, many of them in the outside world are fierce predators - rocs, for example, will carry off just about anything to eat, even elephants and rhinoceri. Li explains that this is thanks to a gift left by the Elder Court to the first Wardens, and kept in the tower: the Chalice of Kuan Yin. It produces a magical liquid which the animals of the Preserve regularly drink from, and which renders them peaceful, living together in harmony. It removes their most harmful features as well, such as the catoblepas's "death-gaze". It even sustains them under circumstances that would seemingly be hostile to them. As an example, Li shows them a few odd animals which she named mermecolions, or ant-lions; they are literally that, animals with the head and front parts of a lion, but the hindquarters of an ant. Under normal circumstances, mermecolions don't survive very long, since the lion part prefers to eat meat but the ant part can only digest grain, so the poor animal generally starves to death; however, the Chalice provides them with nourishment under which they can flourish, satisfying both parts of them. However, they have to all drink from it at regular intervals, or else the effects will wear off - and then the end will come for the Preserve and its inhabitants. Arthur wonders if this Chalice could actually be the Holy Grail, and asks about it. The Wardens grow concerned over his interest in it; they tell him that the Chalice is necessary for the upkeep of this place, and they can't permit it to leave the Preserve, for any reason whatsoever, not even to help Merlin; they can't endanger their trust. The Wardens continue to question the travelers, and in particular, become inquisitve about Mary; many of them have noticed something "different" about her, an odd "predator-like" smell that clings to her subtly. Mary at last explains to them that she's a werewolf, a revelation that shocks nearly all of the Wardens. Nyctimus, in particular, immediately looks turned off by her and moves uneasily away from her (Mary regards this with mixed feelings; she hadn't appreciated his intentions, but she's a bit miffed at the outlook that he's clearly displaying towards werewolves). Li explains that, while werewolves are not actually barred from the Preserve, they're not particularly popular here; they have a very evil reputation, as marauders. Togrul is particularly alarmed by this revelation, because his charges are the vegetable lambs; he expresses suspicion that Mary would make inroads among them (and, since vegetable lambs are rooted in the ground and can't flee as regular sheep can, they're all the more vulnerable to assault); Mary greets that accusation with a tone of "Here we go again". She comments caustically to Arthur and Griff that, obviously, there seem to be limits to this place's spirit of racial tolerance. Li (more open-minded about werewolves than the other Wardens) persuades the others that Mary does not appear to be a threat to this place - and neither does Arthur. Still, it's clear that a lot of the Wardens intend to keep an eye on these two, Togrul especially. However, the topic now turns to more pleasant matters. The Wardens are very eager to learn all that they can from Griff about other gargoyle clans, especially after learning that he's met others besides his own, in New York, the Caledonian Forest, and Antarctica, and even on Avalon. They invite him to come with them to their "Hall of Archives", where they can interview him about all these clans, their way of life, their social customs, etc. They have so little about gargoyles, and would gladly remedy this. Griff agrees to this (with Arthur encouraging him in it, explaining that he and Mary will be fine), and so Griff accompanies the Wardens off to the "Hall of Archives", leaving his two human friends on their own. Arthur and Mary wonder what they should do now; their best hope is to bring Merlin here if he can get better - assuming that the Chalice is indeed the Holy Grail - and have him drink of it, but what if that's not possible? It looks as though they're at a dead end. Day comes outside, and Mary turns into a wolf while Griff, taking a break from his interview with the Wardens, turns to stone. A while later, a Warden (a minor figure in the story, probably appearing only here) is standing by the Tower of the Chalice, on regular sentry duty, when a wolf charges at him, bowling him over and knocking him out, then hurls itself at the door repeatedly, until it bursts open. It rushes inside, up the stairs to the chamber where the Chalice is kept, snatches it off its pedestal, and rushes out with the Chalice in its jaws. The Warden is coming to as the wolf rushes by him, and is about to call out a warning when a sword-pommel descends upon his head, knocking him out again. By the time that the other Wardens have arrived, the wolf has gone, but left unmistakable traces of its presence behind it. While the Wardens are frantically assembling to deal with this emergency, Arthur and Mary show up; suspicion immediately falls upon them because of the manner in which the theft was committed and because of their earlier interest in the Chalice. They are quickly placed under arrest. Togrul comments grimly that he knew that no good would come from having these people here, and most of the other Wardens clearly side with him on this matter. Li is still inclined to give Arthur and Mary the benefit of the doubt, but even she admits that it doesn't look too good for them. Arthur is searched, and there is no trace of the Chalice upon him, but it's more than likely, they suspect, that he'd hidden it somewhere first. He and Mary are placed under "house arrest", for now, while an all-out search for the Chalice is held. Griff awakens that "evening", and learns what's happened to his friends; he protests that Arthur wouldn't steal the Chalice, but is ignored. The Wardens tell him that he's not the first honest person to be deceived by cunning thieves, and advise him to be more careful in his choice of friends hereafter (none of them, not even Togrul, even suspect that he had anything to do with the theft; for one thing, he was in his stone sleep at the time, and also, they genuinely believe him to be an honest and honorable figure; after all, he is a gargoyle). Griff is allowed to visit Arthur and Mary, however; he offers to "bust them out", but Arthur refuses; they were "legally arrested", after all, and as a king sworn to uphold the law, he can't disregard that, even if under the laws of another land (making it clear that he's learned from the events in "All that Glitters"). Their only recourse is to stand trial and be found innocent. Griff doesn't consider that likely, however; everyone here seems already biased against them. But he accepts Arthur's request. It still doesn't look good, however; the only Warden who looks ready to seriously consider the possibility that Arthur and Mary aren't guilty is Li the dragon - and she's serving as the judge at the trial. Griff feels concerned that Arthur may not have a proper counsel, thereby (how can he when his own lawyer believes that he did it?), and so decides to volunteer to be his defense attorney. The Wardens are astonished at this, and debate the matter, puzzling over the fact that there's no legal precedent for this; however, in the end, Li rules that there's nothing that prevents him from serving in that role, and so Griff is given that position. Griff is relieved, but then realizes that there's a snag in his plan that he hadn't realized when he volunteered; he has no experience as a lawyer. Battling German planes over London or various evil-doers alongside Arthur, swashbuckler-fashion, yes, but courtrooms are a different matter. Perturbed over this, he visits Arthur again, to tell him about it, half-wondering if he should have spent a bit more time around the Old Bailey back when he lived in London. Arthur reassures him, however; the law, he explains, isn't about obscure regulations and Latin phrases, despite how some lawyers might treat it; it's about justice and discovering the truth of the matter, then revealing it to others. What matters is Griff proving Arthur's innocence in this affair, and Arthur believes that Griff has the ability for that. Griff hopes that he's right. The following night, the trial commences, with Li presiding as judge. Dictynna, serving as prosecutor, states her case first: Arthur had the means and motive, at the least, to commit the crime. He had the motive, because he believes that this "Holy Grail" that he is seeking is the same as the sacred Chalice of Kuan Yin, and no doubt was ready to steal it when it was clear that the Wardens would not allow him near it. He had the means, since the theft was committed in the daytime by a wolf, which fits the nature of his squire (and no doubt accomplice), the young werewolf Mary Sefton. Furthermore, they were able to determine that the sentry was knocked unconscious by a sword's hilt, and Arthur had a sword (Excalibur, of course, was confiscated by the Wardens after he was arrested following the theft of the Chalice). They still need to establish the opportunity, though, and after questioning all the other Wardens, Dictynna discovers, and announces, that there were no witnesses to Arthur and Mary's whereabouts at the time that the robbery was committed, nobody to provide an alibi for them. But they were definitely in the village at the time, and so had the opportunity. Griff rises in defense; he begins by providing a sort of "character testimony" for Arthur, explaining how he's fought alongside the man for four years now, and knows him to be an upright and honorable man, who would certainly not stoop to such an act of theft. However, he has to admit that he has no definite proof, beyond that, that it wasn't Arthur and Mary who were responsible for the robbery (being in stone sleep at the time, he had no way to observe it). Dictynna points out that Arthur could have been presenting Griff with a side of him that he wanted the gargoyle to see - and also, even if Arthur is indeed an honorable man, is it entirely impossible that he would succumb to the temptation of stealing the Chalice in order to save the life of a friend? Clearly the rest of the Wardens present consider that a likely case. Things don't get much better when Griff, at the court's request, proceeds to relate his experience with Arthur. The fact that he had first met the king just after he (Arthur) had broken into Westminster Abbey doesn't bode well, in their opinion, and the court, particularly Dictynna, also pick up on how, during the quest for Excalibur, Arthur was extremely stubborn about Excalibur being his and his alone, suspecting openly that he might have a similar attitude towards an object which he believed to be the Holy Grail. And when Griff, continuing his account, tells them about the events at El Dorado in "All That Glitters", their suspicions grow all the worse. Griff finds himself in the unusual situation of having to half-defend (or rather, explain) Arthur's actions there even though he had definitely not approved of them at the time. It definitely isn't looking good. Griff requests an adjournment until the following night, so that he might visit the Tower and examine the scene of the crime; by looking over the traces of the wolf's entrance and departure, he might be able to determine whether it was Mary or not who did it. His request is granted, and he inspects the Tower. The results disappoint him, however. There's nothing specific about the remains to make it clear that the wolf who did this was a different variety than Mary (if there's a trace of fur left about, for example, the fur looks like Mary, and with no microscopes or DNA labs around, Griff can't prove that the fur didn't come from her). So far this isn't going well. As he leaves the tower, he finds Vorones engaged in argument with a couple of adult Wardens and an apprentice Warden (not Nyctimus; a different figure). The apprentice Warden is particularly concerned over the fact that it's only a week until the animals here are due to drink from the Chalice again, and if it isn't found by them, its effects upon the animals will wear off, and particularly that upon the catoblepas. With their "death-gaze" restored, they could destroy every other animal in the Preserve. The apprentice fears that the catoblepas could go on a rampage that would wipe out everything else here, and therefore is suggesting that they put these beasts under severe restraints - it's clear, for that matter, that he wouldn't be entirely adverse to having them destroyed. The adult Wardens rebuke him sharply for that last sentiment, but it's clear that they're equally worried at that prospect. Vorones is clearly disgusted, and tells them that they're biased against his charges, same as always, just because they aren't "pretty" like the unicorns or magnificent like the rocs; he makes it clear that he wouldn't be so likely to mourn if the catoblepas really did go on a rampage. Griff, listening to all of this, frowns thoughtfully, and starts to wonder about Vorones. He decides that he'd better keep an eye on him. After the conversation ends, Griff secretly follows Vorones about. Vorones is sneaking off through the village, taking pains not to let anybody see him, something which Griff finds all the more suspicious. He follows the Warden to the storehouse for rare herbs (the Wardens use these for various purposes relating to their charges), and notices that Vorones is secretly scooping up a few samples of such herbs. He then heads off towards the catoblepas marshes; Griff follows him, still avoiding being seen, and observes him (with much caution - Vorones, that is) administering these herbs to the catoblepas. Griff is beginning to wonder all the more now. But he knows that all of this is only circumstantial evidence, so he decides not to mention it at the trial. Not until he gets some more definite proof that Vorones is involved. The following night, Dictynna and Griff debate the evidence in the Tower. Unfortunately, Griff is forced to admit that all the "wolf-traces" left in the Tower from the theft of the Chalice could have been made by Mary - at least, there's nothing among them that rules her out as a suspect. Griff asks what metal the Chalice was made of, hoping that, if it was made from silver, it would mean that she couldn't have stolen it, owing to her vulnerability to that metal. But it turns out that it was made from gold, so it could have been her after all. Griff sighs as another avenue of defense falls apart. When the trial breaks up some hours before dawn, to be reconvened the following night, Griff secretly follows Vorones about, and finds him about in the dark woods near the catoblepas's marsh, only this time, instead of entering the marsh itself, he's following what appears to be a trail left by a wolf. He pauses at a certain point on the path where the trail halts, and starts to dig. At last, he uncovers from the ground a magnificent golden cup, the Chalice of Kuan Yin. Griff swoops down on him at that moment, accusing Vorones of being the thief. It all makes sense now. He knew where to find the Chalice, and he had the motive for stealing it. If it was lost, then the catoblepas would soon regain their "death-gaze" and Vorones could have them wipe out all the other animals in the Preserve, the ones whom he dislikes. It all falls into place - except that Griff doesn't know whether Vorones was digging up the Chalice to destroy it or to move it somewhere else. Vorones is shocked, and protests that he's innocent. Yes, he says, he doesn't like the other animals in the Preserve that much, and yes, he doesn't like being subtly ostracized by the other Wardens. But he would never go to such lengths of vengeance to destroy them. Not to mention, he adds, that even if he wanted the "catoblepas rampage" to take place, it couldn't happen. Catoblepas are notoriously lazy and slothful; they'd rather stay in their marshes to snooze and eat than head off on a campaign of destruction, and their own anatomy (top-heavy heads which can't be raised and eye-obscuring mops of hair) doesn't help matters much either. Griff then questions Vorones about the herbs and the Chalice. Vorones explains that he was working on some sort of herbal substitute for the Chalice that would render the catoblepas's "death-gaze" dormant, in the event that it was lost to the Preserve somehow; the other Wardens know about it and gave him free leave to take whatever he needed from the herbary, whenever he needed it. As for the Chalice: Togrul had asked him to bring back some rare herbs growing only in that part of the woods near the marshes ("as long as you're there") for him to use in flavoring the diet of the vegetable lambs' meals, which same herbs grew close to that part of the path where the wolf-tracks led. As a result, he had noticed the tracks, and in following them, came to a place where the ground had been clearly disturbed; he decided to investigate, and found the Chalice buried here. Vorones' story finally convinces Griff, who realizes that he'd accused the wrong man, and apologizes to him. To his surprise, Vorones takes it quite well, admitting that his dour exterior makes it all the likelier that he'd be the subject of suspicion. What matters now, in any case, is that they've found the Chalice, and can return it to its place - although the wolf-tracks close by don't bode well for Arthur and Mary's claims of innocence. Griff nods, feeling troubled by that. The two of them return the Chalice to the village, neither one mentioning how Griff had suspected Vorones of the theft. The Wardens replace the Chalice and all seems well again. Griff suggest that they let Arthur and Mary go, but that the Wardens refuse to do. A theft is still a theft, even if the stolen property was recovered, and this latest piece of evidence makes it all the more clear that Arthur and Mary are guilty. Griff, feeling that even if he can't save Arthur and Mary, he can still save Merlin, asks if he could, now that the Chalice is returned, go back to the Sanctuary, bring Merlin here, and have him drink from the Chalice. The Wardens tell him that this is not possible; the Chalice only works on animals, not on humans or other full-sentients. Griff realizes from this that, if that is so, it must not be the Holy Grail after all. He comments that he wishes that the Wardens had explained that a couple of nights ago, before the theft; it would have saved everyone a lot of trouble. So that's another wrong end that they've hit upon. Griff goes to visit Arthur and Mary, and tells them about the latest developments. They're disappointed to learn that the Chalice wasn't the Grail after all, and also that Griff's possible suspect turned out to be innocent. Time's running out; before long, unless Griff finds some fresh evidence in their favor, the jury will have to render their verdict, and that verdict will most likely be one of "guilty".Mary expresses the hope that, if they are found guilty, they'll simply be banished; however, Griff has to tell her that the mood so far indicates that lifetime imprisonment, execution, or worse could be the sentence instead. In any case, the demands of justice require that they discover the real thief, and Arthur whole-heartedly agrees to this. Griff heads out for more investigating, though he has only an hour before dawn. Since the wolf-tracks are particularly damaging evidence, he decides to inspect them again; maybe he'll find something about them which indicates that Mary didn't make them. He follows them past the point where the Chalice was buried, until they reach a heavy fall of leaves, one which looks natural. Griff examines them carefully, and discovers that they were placed there, rather than falling from the trees naturally. He uncovers them, and discovers that the wolf-prints are turning, mid-way, into human footprints. Griff realizes that this means that they weren't made by Mary. After all, she's been confined to the hut with Arthur all along, since the first day here, so any transformations that she's undergone from wolf to human only took place there and not here in the woods. And those leaves were placed over the tracks to conceal them. He eagerly returns to the village, making it just in time to turn to stone at sunrise. The third evening comes, and Griff awakens from stone sleep. At the trial, he announces that he's made a fresh discovery, one that argues on behalf of Arthur and Mary being innocent. He leads them out into the woods, where he and Vorones had uncovered the Chalice, and shows them the track of wolf-prints that changes to human foot-prints, still there and safely undisturbed. Togrul argues that the prints could have been faked, but other Wardens, examine them, find them to be genuine, and dating from the day that the Chalice was stolen. Griff says that this can mean only one thing; there's another werewolf here, and it was the thief. But in such a case, where is this other werewolf? Griff has an idea. He first requests if anybody has anything on their person made of silver; one of the Wardens finally produces such an object, and hands it to Griff. Griff explains that, since werewolves are vulnerable to silver, each of the Wardens must touch this object. Togrul argues that this is ridiculous; how do they know that the werewolf isn't another intruder, rather than one of them? But Li decides that it makes sense. She has the test administered. When Nyctimus, near the end of the line, approaches the object, he nervously touches it, then withdraws his hand, as though it had been burned. He tries to explain away the results, but everyone's eyes are upon him, and at last, he confesses. The fact is, he's a member of the Neuri tribe, all of whom are werewolves by nature, born that way as opposed to being cursed with it like Mary. When he came here, he was afraid that everyone else would shun him for being a werewolf, and so concealed his true nature from them. He'd even found a way of hiding his scent so that none of them could pick it up. It's also why he immediately cold-shouldered Mary upon discovering that she was a werewolf; he was afraid that, if he was friendly towards her, people would get suspicious, and so acted as he did to preserve his secret. Li asks him why he stole the Chalice; Togrul says sharply that it doesn't matter; the youth stole it and should be banished. Nyctimus replies bitterly that Togrul made him steal it. Togrul protests that this is rot, but Nyctimus goes on to explain how Togrul had discovered his true nature a year ago, and had used it to blackmail him ever since. Togrul made him steal the Chalice, so that he could frame Arthur and Mary for it. Togrul even wielded the sword used to knock the sentry out. Togrul protests that this is all lies, but Griff, realizing that this makes a number of features about this case fall together, states that he believes that Nyctimus is telling the truth here, and shows how the evidence supports it. In the end, he convinces Li and the others present of it. "But why?" Li asks Togrul. Togrul replies that he had to do something to get rid of Arthur and Mary. As a werewolf, Mary was more than likely a distinct threat to the animals here, especially his precious vegetable lambs, and as for Arthur - well, it was "legendary heroes" such as Arthur who slew so many animals of the sort that the Preserve has as to make it necessary in the first place. He feared that the two of them would destroy the Preserve, and so had the Chalice stolen and framed them for it; of course, he didn't want the Chalice gone long enough to endanger the Preserve, and so arranged for Vorones to discover it so that it could be returned to the Tower. He concludes his confession with some general rants about how some day they'll understand that he was doing what he had to, to protect the Preserve. Li, ignoring his rant, pronounces judgement upon him and Nyctimus. They stole the Chalice and arranged for two innocent people to be falsely accused of the crime, serious charges indeed. She and the other Wardens decide to have them both banished for life from the Preserve, stripped of their Warden status. As for Arthur and Mary, they are freed with much apologies. Li notes, with a note of shame in her voice, that clearly the Wardens need to face the fact that they are themselves tainted with the prejudices of the outside world that they had built the Sanctuary as a haven from, judging from their suspicion towards werewolves, and work to overcome that bias. Excalibur is returned to Arthur, and he, Mary, and Griff decide to take their leave of the place; they've no further reason to remain now that they know that the Chalice isn't the Grail and that the crime has been solved, and need to be getting back to Merlin. Li accompanies them back to the Sanctuary, believing that it's time that she saw how things were doing with Rani anyway. Togrul and Nyctimus also accompany them, although their society isn't welcome; Togrul remains sullenly silent throughout, while Nyctimus is trying to explain to a very unsympathetic Mary that he had no choice in the manner, without any success at all. Mary and Li go into the Sanctuary to see Merlin and learn how he fares, while Arthur and Griff wait without for a moment, Arthur thanking Griff for his help, and for his willingness to believe in Arthur's innocence even when the facts looked unfavorable to him. Griff replies that he knew all along that Arthur wouldn't steal; the problem was convincing the Wardens. The moment is interrupted by Mary and Rani, who report that Merlin's condition has stabilized, but not for long. It's clear that he won't last much longer - only a couple of weeks at most - and they have to return to England. Since there are no places on Arthur's list left to look for the Grail, and Merlin's time is running out, it's clear that they can search nowhere else for the Grail; they've had their last opportunity. The quest has failed, and it is on a heavy note that Arthur and his friends leave the Himalayas for England.