“Do you have a plan?”
“No, but I’m sure we’ll figure out something. We’ll need more information about this new Tempest and its rulers.”
“Of course,” I murmured. “But I have to return to my friends. They knew I was going to free you, and they’re worried about me. I can’t have them going out to search for me, but by now, they’re probably thinking you tore off my head and ate it.”
“While we’re good at decapitation, we’d never eat it. We don’t eat meat.”
I wasn’t sure if that was meant to be reassuring or not, but he’d definitely shocked me with his last sentence. “You don’t eat meat?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean we won’t kill, and we’re good at it.”
“Oh, of course you are.”
These creatures were wonderful contradictions with their ugly countenance and beautiful souls. Their unabashed admission of being good at killing, yet they were vegetarians. I liked them more and more with every passing second.
“We should go now,” Indon said. “We don’t want your friends getting hurt. We need all the help we can get.”
“I’m ready when you are, but the duke has men searching these woods, so you should be careful about not being seen. I’d like to keep you hidden for as long as possible.”
They might have already seen Indon and the others, but I doubted it, and if they had, there was nothing I could do about it. Plus, if someone saw the gargoyles, they’d probably write them off as some large, unknown bird. No one would suspect their real identity.
“I agree,” Indon said. “Point the way.”
When he rose from the trees, he swept over to lift me from my perch. My fingers tightened on the branch before I convinced myself to relinquish it.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT
Ellery
I knew enteringthe cavern with the gargoyles was going to cause a stir, but most of them remained outside. Many of them didn’t want to return to a cavern after their last experience in one, and I didn’t blame them.
The first guards we passed looked about to shit themselves when the creatures, hunched over in the tunnel, crept past them. Only three of them had come with me, but three was more than enough to scare the most hardened of soldiers.
The claws on their toes created a soft tapping sound against the dirt as they walked, and sometimes the points on their wings would scrape the ceiling or floor. This tunnel was a lot more confined than their last one, and Indon grumbled about it more than a few times.
It had crossed my mind that the gargoyles could be playing with me and waiting for me to lead them to more amsirah for them to kill, but they didn’t need me for that. They could fly out over the towns and villages and find thousands upon thousands of amsirah to slaughter.
It seemed crazy, given the history of our species, but I trusted them. Maybe it was the forest talking to me.
Before we arrived at the cavern, the dim glow of torches and lanterns flickered within the corridor. They didn’t illuminate much of the space, but I welcomed the sight of it.
Despite being exhausted, hungry, thirsty, still cold from our flight here, and heartbroken, I was eager to see my friends. They were probably worried sick.
When the tunnel ended, I stood at the end of it as I took in everything they’d accomplished while I was gone. Dozens of lanterns and torches were set into the walls, beds had been established, clothes were nestled into the small spaces the amsirah claimed, all the animals were secured away, and most amsirah slept soundly.
Only Xanthus remained in the main part of the cavern, probably because no one wanted to deal with him. He stood near the entrance and lifted his head when I entered; he nickered at me before lowering his head and returning to sleep.
Ianto, Scarlet, and Luna sat near a wall only fifteen feet away. Their bloodshot, swollen eyes were focused on the entrance. I imagined I looked more exhausted than them, but we still had so much to do.
When the three of them spotted me, they all pushed themselves to their feet and hurried forward. Indon’s emergence from the shadows froze them in place as their jaws dropped.
“Holy shit,” Luna breathed.
I didn’t realize Ruby and Mr. Fletcher were also still awake until he rose from the beds they had created. Ruby stayed seated with her son’s head in her lap; Billy slept soundly.
What few other amsirah remained awake stopped speaking as the three gargoyles spread out around me. Terror emanated from them as they huddled closer.
I didn’t blame them for their distress. As far as they knew, I’d led a new enemy straight into the only safe space they had left.
