The guards on the parapets must not have seen them either, as they didn’t raise an alarm. No shouts came from nearer the castle, which meant there weren’t any fighters on the ground… or the gargoyles had already destroyed them.
“Are you sure we can trust them, Lery?” Scarlet asked.
“Yes.”
“What happens when this is over? Are they going to turn on us?” Scarlet asked.
“No. They don’t need us for any of this.” I waved a hand at the castle. “They could do this all on their own. If they wanted us dead, we would be. You see their size; what good are we against them?”
“You have your lightning,” Luna said.
“Against all of the gargoyles?” I asked.
Scarlet opened her mouth to speak again before stopping herself. I suspected she was going to mention the Heart of Stone, the gem stolen from the gargoyles by past amsirah. Without the Heart, the gargoyles were statues, trapped beneath the temple, but I gave them their lives back when I returned the stone.
Few knew what I’d done to bring the gargoyles back to life, and it would remain a secret. They’d earned the right to that privacy; plus, I wasn’t sure I could take it back, even if I tried.
CHAPTER FIVE
Ellery
Shadows glided up the side of the castle’s wall. It was the only sign I’d seen of the gargoyles since they left, and if I hadn’t been looking, I wouldn’t have noticed it.
A startled shout from the parapets cut off abruptly before a body plummeted over the side. The gargoyles had vanished again after reaching the top of the castle, but it was easy to tell where they were.
A body hit the rocks with a sickening thud that caused me to wince. No guards stood below, but I glanced around as I waited for a rush of men and women to charge out of the castle to aid their fellow soldiers.
The night remained eerily hushed as more bodies plunged over the side. They must already be dead, as none of them screamed.
I gripped my cloak tighter when a breeze blew across the land. A funnel started to form before abruptly dying away. Whoever began creating the tornado never got the chance to finish.
I glanced nervously at the windows with the lanterns illuminating the glass, but no one looked out. From our distance, muffled shouts floated across the land between us and the castle, and swords clanged, but I strained to hear it. The amsirah in the castle should have heard more of it, yet no one emerged to help.
“Where are they all?” I murmured.
“Maybe the duke took far more guards than we realized,” Scarlet suggested.
“They might not be able to hear them,” Luna said. “It’s really not that loud, and the castle walls and windows are extremely thick. No one inside wants to hear the screams of others.”
Her unsettling words drew my gaze and Scarlet’s. This time, I didn’t hesitate to grasp her arm and squeeze it. The action might irritate her, but she had to know we were here for her.
Luna’s eyes fell to my arm before returning to the castle. I held her for a second longer before releasing her. It was enough.
CHAPTER SIX
Ellery
Another body plummeted to the jagged rocks below; it was swiftly followed by more.
“For creatures who only eat stones and forest debris, they sure are bloodthirsty,” Luna remarked.
“Yes, they are,” I agreed.
Despite the death unfolding, it remained eerily quiet. Very few got the chance to scream, and the ones who did were cut off before much noise issued from them. Even the clang of swords died away until, eventually, it all fell silent.
No more bodies fell over the side. A small wind tickled the hair that had slipped free of my braid; it danced around my face until I shoved it aside.
Nothing moved on the parapets, and the lights went out in the earl’s windows. My heart leapt into my throat as I searched the windows for signs of movement.
