“It’s okay,” I whispered. I didn’t want to wake anyone else up, but I had to do something to ease the fear of those gawking at us. “They’ve agreed to help us, and we’re going to work together against the aristocrats.”
When silence met my words, I didn’t offer any other assurances. Instead, I walked over to my friends with the gargoyles following.
They all still stared at me like I’d lost my mind, and maybe I had after finding Ryker’s finger, but the gargoyles were our greatest hope to win against the nobles. Perhaps we could have met with them outside of this cavern, but with the duke’s men in these woods, that could prove to be more treacherous.
Indon said he had an idea, and we all needed to sit down and formulate a plan. While I was good at organizing robberies, I wasn’t so adept at developing plans for war. None of us had much experience with that, but with all our minds working together, I was sure we could come up with something to defeat our enemies.
Whatever plan we came up with had to ensure Ryker and the children weren’t killed or used as shields during our attack. I had no idea how we were going to do that.
Apprehension curled in my stomach as I realized the easiest part of this might have been freeing the gargoyles. Now the real work would begin.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE
Ellery
“This is Indon,”I said when I stopped before Ianto.
The giant never looked up to anyone, but as Indon stood at his full height, Ianto had to tip his head back to take him in. “I’m Ianto.”
Indon bowed his head to him before focusing on the others as I made my introductions. While I spoke, Mr. Fletcher and Ruby also made their way over.
Ruby held a cloth bag and a canteen; when she offered them to me, I nearly snatched them from her hand. I was starving and so thirsty my mouth was parched and my throat burned, but I restrained myself from tearing into the supplies. None of them paid attention to me as they continued gaping at the gargoyles.
“Where are the others?” Scarlet whispered. “There were a lot more of them in the cavern.”
“After being locked away, most of us have chosen to remain outside of this place,” Indon replied. “They are enjoying their freedom.”
“Will you ever return to your cavern?” I asked.
“At one time, it was our safe retreat and place to rest, but we willneverreturn.”
“I wouldn’t either.”
Unable to resist anymore, I unscrewed the cap on the canteen and took a long swallow of water before making myself stop. I wanted to chug it all down and then drink a hundred more of them, but I’d make myself sick if I did.
My hand trembled as I lowered the canteen and focused on the wall in the hopes of suppressing the clawing urge for more water that had taken up residence in my chest. I didn’t dare look at the food; I’d tear it apart like a vulture on a corpse.
“How many of you are there in total?” Ianto asked.
“One hundred and fifteen,” Indon said.
“Holy shit,” Luna whispered again. “You told me there were gargoyles, but I never… I didn’t… I… I’m not sure what I was expecting.”
“Tempest is their land to care for,” I explained as some of the other amsirah crept closer. “They don’t like what’s happening here either. Our ancestors betrayed them, but they want to help us make things right in Tempest again. They’re going to help us.”
“Are they going to kill us afterward?” a young woman asked.
“No!” I said more sharply than I’d intended, but we couldn’t have that rumor getting started. We needed the gargoyles, and they deserved peace. If amsirah feared them, they’d never find the tranquility they deserved. “At one time, amsirah and gargoyles worked together in harmony, and we’re going to do that again.”
“We’re both the rightful caretakers of this realm,” Indon said. “Tempest needs us both to thrive.”
Part of me thought Tempest would be better off without the amsirah, but I kept that to myself. If Indon wasn’t considering it, then I wouldn’t put the idea in his head.
“Can you open a portal out of the realm?” a man asked.
“We cannot open portals,” Indon replied.
“Oh,” the man said with disappointment.
