The woman jumped up and folded the other wing before securing it against the gargoyle’s back. Once the delicate structures were safely ensconced, we worked together to roll the massive creature over.
When it fell onto its back, its arms flopped out at its sides. The tips of its lethal claws gleamed in the fading light of the fire. His eyes remained open and unseeing, or maybe they were closed; I didn’t know if it was possible to tell the difference. Hell, I didn’t even know if their eyes closed.
“Is it dead?” Fletcher shouted as he fell to his knees across from us.
Much as I’d done already, he searched for a pulse. If the frustration on his face was any indication, he wasn’t having any success in finding it either.
“I have no idea,” I told him. “But we can’t leave him here. If he’s not dead, he might be by the time this ends.”
“Let’s get him moved then!” Fletcher shouted.
The three of us rose and bent to grasp the creature under its armpits and arms. The gargoyle had to weigh at least five hundred pounds, but we managed to drag it into the shelter of the trees. We gathered some nearby debris and started covering its body to keep it hidden.
The poltergeists studied the creature with curiosity as one of its brethren landed a few feet away. I stopped the process of covering its body with some falling branches as a fresh wave of cannon fire and screams pummeled the air.
A gargoyle landed a few feet away. It closed its wings as it stalked toward us. With care, it knelt beside its friend.
“Is he alive?” I shouted.
The gargoyle nodded. “Yes. She will heal.”
I guess I was wrong about the sex then. “Should we keep covering her to keep her hidden?”
“Yes.”
The gargoyle helped us finish covering her before taking flight again. I looked at the others as more cannons fired.
I couldn’t tell where they’d aimed those balls, but the hair on my nape rose as the whistling sound came closer. I started to shout a warning, but before I could get it out, one of the balls slammed into Fletcher, lifted him off the ground, and flung him past me.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
Tucker
When the cannonball tore through his chest, more blood sprayed my face as the woman screamed. Even before I saw the gaping hole where Fletcher’s heart used to be, I knew he was dead.
Closing my eyes, I tried to ignore the anguish clawing at my chest. I’d gotten to know him well since he joined the encampment. He was a good man with a family who loved him dearly… and now he was gone.
I wiped away the blood dripping off my chin before flicking it off my fingers. It wasn’t the first time the blood of a friend had covered me, and it wouldn’t be the last, but it never got any easier.
“Fuck,” I snarled. “FUCK!”
Across from me, blood also coated the woman who trembled as she gazed at me from bulging eyes. She looked ready to bolt but had no idea which way to go.
More cannons boomed. The woman hit the ground as the projectiles whistled through the air.
I fell to the ground. My cheek hit the earth, and my fingers dug into the cold mud as trees shattered and splintered wood mixed with the hail to pelt me.
When the last of the destruction finished raining down, I turned my head to look at Fletcher’s feet. I almost grabbed his body to drag him away and ensure no more damage occurred to it, but unfortunately, I didn’t have time for that.
If we stayed here, we’d end up dead.
“We have to move!” I yelled at the woman.
She blinked at me a few times before wiping blood and mud off her face. She still looked more than a little shell-shocked, but she gathered herself enough to stand again.
As I turned away from the forest, my gaze felt drawn to where I last saw Fletcher, but I didn’t look back. If Scarlet survived this, the loss of her father would devastate her. Did Ruby, who was back in the cavern with her son, somehow know she’d lost her husband?
Their bond had been precious. And now it was broken.
