by Ardis, Priya
At least they had their clothes on. Mostly.
Matt was shirtless, showing off a bare expanse of skin and short fine hair. Hair I’d been sliding my fingers through earlier this morning. On Vane.
For a minute, all I could do was watch Matt kiss me. Watch him kiss Marilynn… in my body. It was surreal, beyond disturbing, and— narcissistically hot. I don’t know why I wasn’t more upset… maybe because I was guilty of the same misdeeds.
I pushed past Grey. He grabbed my elbow before I could go too far.
“Grey,” Gia said warningly from behind us.
The two on the sofa jerked apart, finally noticing they had an audience.
“Ryan.” Matt scrambled up. Marilynn almost fell off the sofa on the floor. Matt distanced himself from her by going behind Sylvia’s huge, mahogany desk. He wiped a hand across his mouth. “You’re back early.”
“Yeah.” Duh. I stared at the two of them. Their mussed hair and blotted lips… but I couldn’t actually articulate another response.
Marilynn stood up quickly. Two red spots flushed her cheeks. My cheeks. She glanced at Matt, but he stared down at Sylvia’s desk. Biting her lip, she ran out of the room.
Grey came up from behind and put his hand on my back. “Ryan?”
I shook my head. “I want to talk to Matt alone.”
For the first time since the rooftop, Gia looked at me as she’d done before—as my friend. “Are you sure?”
I exchanged a girl-to-girl look with her. “I’m fine. Really.”
Gia nodded, pulling Grey out of the room.
As soon as the door shut behind them, Matt said, “It wasn’t planned.”
I glanced at the curved sofa, the cushions still flat from its recent occupation. Dark rain continued to paint the glass of a set of French doors. It outlined Matt’s form, lending him a soft aura of melancholy. “Is this because of this morning? The library?”
“Maybe.” Matt’s shoulders drooped and then straightened. Amber eyes pierced through me. “You’re not upset.”
I walked farther into the room. “I wasn’t kissing you. I was kissing Vane.”
He blinked. “I wasn’t kissing Marilynn. I was kissing you.”
I bit back a semi-hysterical laugh. It was a freaking Shakespearian tragedy. Or comedy. Honestly, I couldn’t tell which. With more bitterness than I wanted to express, I stated, “I don’t think you know what you want.”
He picked up his T-shirt from the floor and pulled it on. “That much seems to be true.”
“I can’t keep doing this back and forth with you.”
“And I can’t help myself from wanting you even when I shouldn’t.”
Soft amber eyes watched me in silent question. The yearning look asked me to take Marilynn’s place on the sofa. He stood on one side of the desk. I stood on the other. The distance wasn’t far, but the gulf between us had become infinite. While it made me sad, it didn’t devastate me. Somewhere along the way, somewhere along the circular road back home, had I learned how to let him go?
“You shouldn’t have to help yourself,” I said slowly. “It shouldn’t have to be so hard, Matt.”
Matt slammed his hands, palms down, on the desk and leaned against its sturdy wood as if he needed the support. A hard glint entered his eyes. “If it is, it’s because you made it so.”
Bastard. How did guys flip the switch from nice guy to bastard so quickly? I didn’t say the thought out loud because, although it stung, he was partially right. I had made it complicated or rather Vane had. Yet, I couldn’t lie to him like he wanted. That would have been worse. “I don’t know what’s happening between Vane and me, but I haven’t given up on him—”
His whole body stiffened. “Is he the better catch now that he’s the greatest wizard in the world?”
The question left me speechless for a minute. It was insulting on so many levels. Tamping down my temper, I ground out, “I don’t need to catch anyone, Merlin. Your magic, or lack thereof, had nothing to do with this until you made it so.”
“Well, I intend to get it back.” Matt yanked open a drawer on the desk and took out a small metal box. The Kronos Eye.
An ominous wave of foreboding rose in my stomach. “What are you doing with that?”
“I’ve been studying it since Vane pulled it from you. I hoped to use it to save Rourke.” Matt shook the crystal. “It’s hard to see, but beyond its hardened shell, there’s water inside. The water of life. It’s why you were poisoned.”
I shrank back from the Eye. “I thought you couldn’t hold it.”
Matt closed his fist around it. “My theory is that the shell became porous when it was in your stomach. It’s harmless until then.”
“It reacts to stomach acid?”
“Yes, although not as well.” He walked to a console table hidden in the shadows of the room. The thin table against the wall held a small chemistry setup of glass beakers and distillation equipment. Matt picked up a tiny blue vial hanging on a clamp. “I was able to extract a few drops, but no more. I tried several variations—increasing the amount of acid, other chemicals, yet this was all that came out.”
I stated, “I’m not swallowing that again.”
“No, I’ve asked Rourke. If it is the water of life, it might work differently on him than you. He’s already been poisoned. This might cure him.”
“Or it might kill him quicker.”
Matt hung his head. “Yes, that is the main objection.”
“Whose objection?”
Matt cleared his throat. “Sylvia, Deirdre, Grey, Colin… pretty much everyone but Rourke himself.”
“You mean the one person who’s desperate for whatever suggestion of a miracle you throw at him? You’re batting average as bastard has become particularly high these days.”
“No reward without risk.”
I arched a brow. “You sound like Vane.”
“We’ve got a month before we lose several billion people. Do you have any better options? Rourke is dying.”
The laptop on the desk beeped. An incoming call sprang up on the screen.
Matt looked at the username. “It’s the Queen. I have to take this.”
It was a dismissal. I nearly screamed.
The Queen appeared on the laptop screen. “Merlin, we are making good progress. If this continues, we will have the rocks mined long before we anticipated. Your plan is unfolding perfectly.”
Matt beamed under her praise.
“Have you gotten the sword bearer to agree to her part?”
I stomped to the laptop and slammed the lid shut. “What part?”
The door burst open.
Grey flew inside with a wild look. “Emrys, come now.”
I hurried to him. “Grey, what is it?”
“Rourke,” he said. “He’s having another stroke.”
***
We ran upstairs. Colin, Deirdre, Sylvia, and five other gargoyles held Rourke’s shaking body still. Marilynn (minus the glamour) and a few other wizards muttered a chant as they tried to heal him. Fluctuating auras of light bounced off him. It wasn’t a good indication.
Rourke gave a violent jerk. The gargoyles drew back the layers covering him. His entire body was soaked with sweat. Blood spilled from his nose. His eyes flew open. The healers increased the amount of magic, their auras getting brighter.
Finally, he quieted and fell back against his pillow.
Deirdre, on the far side of the bed, put a hand to his forehead. “He’s sleeping.”
“For how long?” Grey said. Lying against his side, his hands shook. He fisted them. “He’s getting worse much more quickly than you said. I thought we had months.”
I went to Sylvia, who stood on the opposite side of the bed from Deirdre. She bit into her nails, her face pale. “Should we call an ambulance?”
“The Regulars have nothing that can help him.” Deirdre shook her head. As if unable to help herself, she glanced at Matt.
He said quietly, “It’s his choi
ce.”
“We barely saved him—” Marilynn interjected.
“No.” I grabbed the vial from his hand. I held it up and shook it at each grim face in the room. “This is poison. Not a cure. We keep looking.”
“For what?” he muttered.
I gave him a pointed look. “For the right answer, not the desperate one.”
No one contradicted me.
The rest of the evening passed quickly. Despite the somber edge in the air, Grey and Sylvia surprised me with a huge cake—Bavarian vanilla decorated with purple roses. The young wizards cast a small spell that made the kitchen sparkle with twinkling lights and the floor mist to look like clouds. We walked on them for one evening. With all the people in the house, the entire sheet of cake disappeared before dinner. The Land Rover officially became mine. The best present, though, was an awkward hug from Gia and a moment to enjoy simply being with my family.
I didn’t see Matt.
He disappeared into the gym and I heard from Colin he spent the night training with the gargoyles. (“Getting beat up” was Colin’s exact phrase.) I kept the vial with me until bedtime. Bone tired, but happy, I found myself crawling into bed at eight o’clock.
I don’t know how long I slept.
A voice whispered at the edge of my dreams, prodding me to wake up.
“Dorothy.”
The door in my mind creaked open. A shadow slipped through to where I slept. A hand smoothed back my hair and traced the curve of one ear. I sighed contentedly and snuggled deeper into the bed. The hand slipped down over my shoulders, under my cami, and delved between my breasts. I moaned.
A chuckle washed over me. The all too real sound snapped me into consciousness.
My eyes flew open and I sat straight up in bed. I glanced around. No one. Only shadows danced in the darkened room.
The Dragon’s Eye was hot against my skin. Vane’s voice purred inside my head. “I knew that would get your attention.”
“What do you want?” I said irritably.
“Something is happening.”
It was then I noticed the sliver of harsh yellow light coming from the hallway. My door was slightly ajar. I knew I closed it before bed. Someone had been in my room. I glanced at my dresser and the empty spot that should not have existed.
Someone had stolen the vial of poison. And I knew who.
“Something wrong?” Vane said, sounding interested.
With a curse, I threw aside the bedcovers and pulled on clothes I left lying on the floor. I grabbed the crutch and hurried out of the room. The stitches across my stomach protested as I rushed down the hallway. As I’d feared, the commotion came from Sylvia’s room. A gang of gargoyles milled around the doorway, blocking the path to the door. I started weaving my way through. My stitches protested more. Through a crack in between two sets of massive shoulders, I saw the entire bed tremble as Rourke’s body shuddered.
“Help him!” Sylvia clung to a bedpost and tried to catch one of Rourke’s flailing hands.
Marilynn and six wizards stood at the foot of the bed. They sent a wave of magic onto Rourke. It sank into his body, but it did nothing to slow the shudders. He started mumbling incoherently. Marilynn said in defeat, “I don’t know what else to try.”
Deirdre grabbed her son’s hand and hung on. “Merlin, do what you must.”
“No!” I shoved past the last line of gargoyles, ignoring the shooting pain across my stomach. It was too late. Matt poured the vial down the gargoyle king’s throat.
“No!” My crutch went flying as I pitched into the room. Colin caught me before I fell on my face. He handed me the crutch. I took it. I hissed at Matt, “What have you done?”
“He’s out of time,” Matt said stoically.
Blue veins popped out along Rourke’s throat as the water of life entered his system. The shudders stopped. Calm reigned for several seconds. It stretched out into a minute.
“It’s working,” Grey murmured. He stood toward the head of the bed.
I bit my lip, hoping against hope that I’d been wrong.
Then, he coughed, and that hope died. More shudders rocked his body. Blood leaked out of his eyes. His face transformed. His forehead extended, fangs elongated, and the gargoyle came out. He let out a tremendous scream. It was the last sound he made before he collapsed back to the bed. This time his body stayed still.
Sylvia put a hand to her mouth. Her strong face ravaged with tears, she stared down at Rourke as if she couldn’t quite understand what had happened. And didn’t want to. Grey let go of me to walk to his mother. She turned into him and started sobbing.
Deirdre sank down against the wall. Her eyes dry yet devastated. Around us, the gargoyles transformed. All of them, including Colin and Deirdre. All except Grey. They let out a beast-like howl unlike anything I’d heard from an animal. The glass windows of the room cracked as if it had been made of tissue instead of thick panes. More howls sounded from the gym. They spread through woods as other animals picked up the call of mourning. It continued until the howl was all that could be heard under the waning moon.
I watched a star shoot across the sky.
The gargoyle king had passed.
Matt stared down at the still body, his amber gaze flickering with uncertainty. His shoulders drooped. I knew how much he’d been counting on this working for Rourke and for himself. For a second, I thought of going to him and offering support. Yesterday, I might have. Today, I couldn’t help but wonder if I knew him at all. He’d become so desperate to regain his magic he hadn’t hesitated to use Rourke’s broken body as a human experiment.
I left the room. I slipped through the gargoyles and found Gia just beyond them in the hall. She sat huddled on the floor against a wall. Her head down, her arms hugged her knees to her chest. Ignoring the pain under my bandages, I sat down beside her, my shoulder against hers. She lifted her head to look at me with dry reddened eyes. I put my arms around her shoulders and we huddled together.
She said, “I can’t do this anymore.”
“Yes, you can.”
“Why should I?” She gave a small hysterical laugh. “The world is going to end anyway.”
“Because you have to. Because we need you. Grey needs you.” Now more than ever. Until Grey transitioned, the gargoyles were leaderless. It was too soon to think about it. Rourke. Blake. Their silent faces pressed down on me. I leaned my head against Gia’s. “Because there will be a tomorrow.”
And as I said it, I wondered if I believed it or simply pretended. Or if that mattered.
It was nearly morning by the time I crawled back into bed. My body ached fiercely and I couldn’t sleep. The pain left me trembling. I should have called for help. Instead, I touched the Dragon’s Eye.
I opened the door inside my mind and said, “Vane.”
He answered swiftly, “What have you done to yourself?”
I groaned. “Everything hurts.”
“I’m coming over.”
I jerked up in bed and fell back down. “What? No.”
“I’m know I’m not wanted—”
“They’ll freak out! Anyway, there’s nothing you can do to fix this.”
“I might have found a way. Let me try.”
It was tempting, but dangerous. Too dangerous. The monster was unpredictable. Rourke— I broke off, not sure if I should tell him about the king’s death. So I said lamely, “It’s not a good time.” Through the link, I felt him roll his eyes. I yawned. “I just need to sleep. Tell me a story.”
“I don’t know any stories,” he grumbled. “Close your eyes.”
Leaving the door between us open, I did as he asked.
***
“Time to sleep.” I tied the final knot on a pliable piece of bark I’d shaped into a small circle. I stamped out the small flames of our campfire. It was too dangerous too keep it going for any longer then absolutely necessary.
“Vane, can you tell another tale?” Big brown eyes blinked sleepily on a delicate face.
<
br /> I shook my head. “I’ve already told you one. We start early again tomorrow.”
She pouted. I ignored her, steeling myself against those big eyes. We’d traveled far in a few short weeks. We’d remained well fed and undetected through wild lands. With her bow and arrow, she’d kept us in plentiful supply through this barren terrain. I’d never been so completely useless.
“Are we there yet?” Perceval asked.
I glanced out at an expanse of gently rolling hills and small shrubs. Above us, a short tree swung its leafy reddened hair. We were almost home. We’d crossed the short stretch of sea from Gaul and into Britannia. However, battlefields of territory remained before I reached home. We’d made it through the men of Kent and were deep into the territory of the Saxon barbarians. A few more days would lead us to Domnonia. Keltoi territory. Merlin.
“Soon,” I told him. I stamped out the last of the fire. Uncertainty filled me the closer we got to home. I’d hung on to a dream for so long. I wondered what would become of it. I glanced at my unwanted companions. The little princess jumped up. Lopsided braids flew in the air. Braids I’d been forced to make.
“Here.” I thrust a small circle of bark I’d made from the rowan tree at her when she neared me. Taking it, she looked at it curiously. With a sigh, I slipped the band onto her wrist. “Three knots on a circle made from the bark of a rowan tree. For protection.”
To my surprise, she flung herself against me. Little arms tightened around my sides, hugging me. “Do not worry, Vane. You’re never going to be alone again. I will wed you when I am grown.”
On the other side of the dead fire, Perceval laughed. I felt myself turn red in the face.
I stuttered, “W-we’ll see when you’re grown.”
“I will be very pretty like my momma.” Huge brown eyes smiled and the dark world lit up for a moment.
I believed her.
Sticking out her tongue at her brother, she skipped off to her bedroll. Under the slope of a gently rolling hill and a lone rowan tree, the little princess closed her eyes.