Tucker’s arms wrapped around me. He lifted me off the ground and, spinning around, laughed so loudly I was pretty sure he partially deafened me. I loved it.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
Ellery
“How did you get out?” Tucker demanded as he lowered me. “Did you get out before it collapsed? Did everyone else get out too?”
“No,” I said as I embraced Ruby next. “We were all in it. The others are still trapped; I don’t know where. With my lightning, I managed to dig my way into the tunnel connecting the gargoyles and the city of the dead. From there, I opened a portal into the woods to get free.”
“You can open a portal from there now?” Ianto questioned as he enveloped me in a bear hug, squeezing the air from my lungs.
While I embraced the others, I explained everything that happened. When I finished, I stepped back to survey their dirty, bloody, bruised, exhausted faces. They looked as awful as I felt, but someone was missing.
“Where’s Mr. Fletcher?” I asked.
The second Ruby’s eyes filled with tears and she pulled Billy against her side, I knew. My heart plummeted; my hand flew to my mouth to stifle my sob.
When Ruby couldn’t speak, Tucker did. “He was killed during the battle.”
My breath sucked in as his words confirmed my fear. A sharp pain radiated through my heart and brought tears to my eyes. I’d known Mr. Fletcher since birth; he was a second father to me. He’d watched over and protected me… mostly from myself.
I embraced Ruby again, clinging to her as I opened my other arm to Billy. When he joined our hug, I clutched him against my side.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. It was so completely inadequate given the anguish I knew they were suffering, but it was all I could say.
“He loved you so very much,” Ruby said. “And he fully believed in what we were doing here.”
I knew that was her way of saying she didn’t blame me and I hadn’t forced him into this, but I felt guilty over his loss. Poor Scarlet would be devastated.
“We have his body; we’ll take him home. It’s where he belongs,” Ruby said. “Now, we have to find my girl.”
“We will.”
That was a promise I would keep. Dead or alive, I’d bring Scarlet back to her mother and brother.
“Did the gargoyles and servants make it out of the dungeon?” I asked.
“No. One gargoyle remains trapped, though Indon said it’s still alive.” As he spoke, Indon landed a few feet away.
“Your wings!” I blurted.
With my hand outstretched, I stepped toward him, but he held up his palm to halt me. “It will heal,” he assured me in his deep, gravelly voice.
“I… I… does it hurt?”
“Do not fret over us, child.”
I glanced at the wreckage. “What about your friend who’s trapped?”
“Zira is not happy to be confined again, but she knows we are coming for her.”
“Good. I wish we could let everyone under there know that. And the ones who died….”
My voice trailed off as I shifted my gaze to the heavens.
Tucker rested his hand on my arm. “We won because of you.”
“There are many innocent amsirah?—”
