Ryker cast them a wary glance as Samael, Lawrence, and Tucker edged away from the gargoyles. They didn’t run, but they looked tempted to as their eyes darted around the room.
“Not at first,” Ryker said. “At first, he’ll want to know what they are, where they came from, and how to control them. And he’ll also try to make sure that I’m controlled.”
“No one controls us,” Indon said.
“I understand that, but the duke won’t. He’ll see you as something that could help him cement his reign over this realm… or as a threat to eradicate.”
“So, he would try to replace me with the gargoyles,” I said.
“No, he’ll still go after you. He wants you because of me, and because you humiliated him. Plus, to him, the fact that you’re so far beneath him status-wise, yet possess more power than he does, is infuriating. He’ll want to destroy that.”
“Yeah, he does,” Samael agreed. “He keeps himself mostly calm when he’s around others, but he can’t hide the loathing in his eyes when someone mentions you two. You could be completely useless to him, and he’d still want to destroy you both.”
“Sounds like a lovely man,” Indon remarked.
My lips twitched toward a smile. I didn’t think the gargoyles had a sense of humor, but I was wrong.
“Ryker, this is Indon,” I introduced. “He’s not the king of the gargoyles, they don’t have one, but he is…”
“The one who speaks for us,” Indon filled in for me.
Ryker studied him for a minute before extending his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Indon’s hand swallowed Ryker’s within his grasp. “You as well, lightning bearer.”
Something unspoken passed between them. I didn’t know what it was, but I sensed they each understood Ryker was someone who could lock Indon away again, and that it was better to be allies than enemies.
Or at least I hoped they understood it, for all our sakes.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Ellery
“So, you think it would be a good idea to return to the dungeon?” I asked, drawing their attention back to me.
“Yes.”
“You’ve lost your mind!” Samael blurted, and I hated to agree with the sheriff. “There is no way we’ll make it all the way back through the palace and back to those dungeons without being detected. Not to mention, the duke will have far more guards with him now that a warning has gone out.”
As Samael spoke, some of the gargoyles returned.
“The children?” I asked anxiously.
“They are in the cavern,” Kevi, a female gargoyle, replied. “Many have been reunited with their parents.”
“Wonderful,” I breathed.
“What’s going on outside?” Ryker demanded.
“More fighters are assembling on the field and on the wall. It’s getting a lot louder as the poltergeists are slaughtering anyone trying to enter the woods. I think they’re still confused about what’s happening.”
“That doesn’t mean the duke hasn’t mobilized more guards around him. He could be in the dungeons now and already know you’re gone,” Samael said.
“True, but an ambush does sound like the best way to go,” Tucker said. “The duke would never see it coming.”
I wasn’t sure if he was saying that because he agreed with Ryker or because he despised Samael so much. But Tucker was far more levelheaded than Ryker or me; he wouldn’t agree with this if he didn’t think it could work.
“Do you have enough time to make it back to the dungeon?” Ianto asked.
