I sat and shifted my body until my wings were sufficiently out of the way. ‘And totally out of sight,’ I added. ‘If I’m still enough, I might even blend in with the scenery.’ I slid my hands along the smooth granite. ‘There is a certain resemblance.’
She hid her laugh with the back of her hand. Then we were quiet again. I tried not to look at her too much, afraid she’d see too many of my thoughts, but it was hard to keep my gaze averted.
‘So, how do you like living with us at the Circe?’ she asked. ‘When you’re not fending off groties or narrow-minded carnies, that is.’ She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her knees. ‘Do you miss your clan?’
I watched a hawk flying low over the tree line. ‘Sometimes. Especially my brother. He’s the only family I’ve known. But the Corsis aren’t really my clan.’ I made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a huff. ‘In some weird way, I wish I did have a clan. A group I belonged to.’ I pushed up my sleeve and studied the dandelion tattoo. ‘And not because I’m some possession; the way your clan views me.’
‘I don’t think you’re a possession, Sebastian.’
‘I know.’ I shoved my sleeve back down and glanced at her. ‘Josephine,’ I began with some uncertainty, ‘what did you mean when you said you understood what it’s like to be scared of something you can’t control?’
I felt her body stiffen beside me. ‘I’m not allowed to say.’
‘Hey, I told you about the whole Jekyll and Hyde thing I’ve got going on.’ I’d meant it as a joke, but the deeply serious, conflicted look in Josephine’s eyes staunched the humor I’d been going for. ‘I’m sorry, Josephine. I didn’t mean to pry. Just forget abou—’
‘I’m next in line,’ she said.
‘What?’
‘To be Queen,’ she finished in a strained voice. She crossed her legs and clasped her hands in her lap. ‘My aunt is the Queen of the Outcast clans. The Romanys are more than just a head family. We’re Gypsy royalty.’
I leaned back so I could look at her better. ‘But your father—’
‘Gave up his rights to the throne a long time ago,’ she continued. ‘I don’t know why. But since my aunt never had kids, she’s permitted to name her successor. Francis could challenge me for it, but he has no desire for a life outside of our troupe. Father intends to leave the Circe to him someday, and it’s always been my brother’s dream to head it up.’
‘What about you?’ I asked. ‘Don’t you have a choice in the matter?’
The look in her eyes was soft, understanding. ‘About as much as you have in being a gargoyle.’
‘So that’s why I’m your guardian.’
Josephine shrugged. ‘That’s why Father thinks you were sealed to me, yeah. The Queen bears the responsibility of maintaining order within our kumpania. All bandoleers are under her authority. She’s also the only Outcast allowed communication with the Old Clans in Europe. We’ve maintained a pretty uneasy truce with them, which basically means we stay out of their business, and they stay out of ours.’
I stared at my shoes, turning the new information over in my head. ‘I heard that someone from the Boswell clan claimed to be the King of the Gypsies a while back.’
Josephine tilted her head to the side. ‘You’ve been talking to Francis.’
‘Maybe.’
The look that crossed her features was somewhere between amused and reprimanding. ‘My brother never could keep things to himself.’ Josephine shifted, and our shoulders brushed. ‘But it’s true. Lots of bandoleers and even members of the High Council are hungry for the throne. No one knows who the Queen intends to name, and many are vying for their chance. My aunt believed keeping her decision secret was the best way to keep me safe. Our kumpania meets twice a year in Savannah, our primary Haven. The next meeting is soon, and there are rumors that the Queen is supposed to make a public announcement.’
‘Will she?’
‘No.’ Josephine plucked a strand of moss from one of the cracks in the stone. She began picking it apart with her fingers. ‘Even though I’m eighteen, I’m not quite an adult by Outcast Gypsy standards yet.’ Josephine tossed the greenery aside, irritated. ‘There’s still one requirement I have to fulfill.’
I opened my mouth to ask, but quickly changed my mind. It was clear by her expression that she wasn’t fond of the subject, and I wasn’t about to push. One step at a time, I reminded myself. I waited a few moments before cautiously venturing ahead.
‘So why are you telling me now, if your father ordered you to be silent about it?’
Josephine held my gaze with a strength that made the hair on the back of my neck rise. ‘He wanted to test you to see how far you would go to protect me, to reassure himself of your loyalty to our clan. But I don’t feel the same way he does. I trust you, Sebastian. I always have. I don’t need a test for that.’
A distant rumble of thunder caused us both to look up. The skies had grown steadily darker while we’d talked, and now it seemed that rain was inevitable. The breeze felt cool against my face as it wafted up the side of the mountain and rustled the trees.
‘Can you fly in the rain?’ Josephine asked.
I ran a hand through my hair, scanning the gray sky. ‘I don’t know, actually.’ A heavy mist was developing, hiding the landscape below. ‘I don’t exactly have a radar system, well, for flying, I mean.’
Josephine smiled broadly and covered her mouth again. My brows rose in confusion. She put her hand on my knee. ‘I don’t mean to laugh,’ she apologized. ‘It just seems funny that you don’t know your own abilities.’
‘I’m actively living in denial.’
‘You sound like an episode from Oprah,’ she said. ‘“Coming up next: The Art of Being a Shadow Creature. Learning How To Overcome Your Weaknesses and Tap Into Your Hidden Strengths”.’
I laughed then. I mean, really laughed – good and long – for the first time in months. Josephine sympathized with me, but she didn’t pity me. I hadn’t realized just how much I needed that.
‘Hello,’ I said. ‘My name is Sebastian Grey. And I’m a gargoyle.’
‘Hello, Sebastian,’ she replied. ‘Welcome to the show.’
Thunder rumbled again, but it didn’t bother me. We laughed again, and everything inside me felt at peace. Things were as they should be. As a few stray droplets fell on my face, I tilted my head to the sky, welcoming the cool water on my face.
‘You have a great smile,’ she said suddenly.
I frowned reflexively. I’d forgotten myself for one moment. I gave a half shrug and smiled, this time with my lips closed. Then I looked away. ‘Thanks.’
‘No, I mean it.’ The sincerity in Josephine’s voice turned my head, and I regarded her with wary curiosity. Her hand rose to my face, and I couldn’t take my eyes from her fingers. ‘And it’s not just your smile. Your teeth … they’re just …’
I couldn’t swallow, much less speak. My blood roared in my ears. Josephine’s hand drifted closer. Drops of rain slid down the bridge of my nose, but I didn’t move. She stared at my mouth, and her emerald eyes were deep.
I felt her fingertips warm and soft on my cheek. Her palm rested against the curve of my jaw, holding me in place. Josephine’s gaze was still on my mouth, and I had to look away. My brain felt like it was short-circuiting. Her thumb moved to my bottom lip, pausing there for what seemed like forever. And then, she gently slid her thumb across my skin. My mouth went slack, and my eyelids fluttered closed. She lingered at the corner of my mouth. My breath caught in my throat.
The edge of her thumb grazed the sharp points of my teeth – hesitantly at first, and then with a more confident touch. I felt lightheaded. I tried to speak, to move, but my body wouldn’t obey. Gradually, her fingers left my mouth and slid up along my jaw; her fluid gesture continuing to the very tip of my pointed ear. It took every ounce of strength to hold myself together.
Josephine’s voice was a whisper. ‘Why do you make me feel like this?’
‘Li
ke what?’ My voice was thick.
Our eyes met. She caressed my cheek.
‘Like I’m alive.’
The skies opened up with rain.
Josephine gasped and dropped her hand. Instinctively, I hugged her to my side and snapped my wings open, positioning them over our heads like a giant umbrella. She stared at the wide expanse of leather and bone above her. And then she grinned.
Thunder rumbled in the distance as the rain fell, but we stayed dry under the shelter of the rock crevice and my gigantic wings. For a long time, neither of us said anything. Josephine shivered and pressed closer to me. She rested her head against my shoulder. I didn’t know what was happening, and I didn’t care. I just didn’t want it to end.
The rain continued – not a downpour, but a soft summer shower – and soon trees were glowing with a watery sheen. I lost track of time. The peaceful rustle of rain and the soft wind along the side of the mountain lulled me into a peaceful state. But the feeling of Josephine’s body next to mine kept me alert. My wings ached, but I refused to allow her to get wet. I felt her contentment, and my desire to do anything for Josephine welled up so strongly that my eyes stung with the force of it.
Her head felt heavier against my arm, and I sensed a shift in her being. My ears picked up on her breathing: slow and deep. I smiled to myself.
She’d fallen asleep.
I sat in perfect stillness. My heart slowed to a manageable trot, and I studied the sleeping girl at my side. Her skin was dotted with a few freckles along her cheeks and there was a tiny scar below her left temple I hadn’t noticed before. Her lips parted as she breathed. The top lip was smaller than the bottom, coming to a delicate point under her nose. Lashes hid her green irises from view, but not the shadowy circles under her eyes.
A gust of wind fluttered a strand of hair across her cheek, and I reached up to brush it away. The sight of my gray hand and dark claws against her skin filled me with sudden disgust. Why couldn’t I be someone else?
Why couldn’t I be something else?
There was no answer to my unspoken questions but the soft pelting of the rain.
20. Dawning Night
Time passed, and the rain tapered to a drizzle, then stopped altogether. Josephine slept against me. My body had long since gone rigid, my brain sluggish. I wondered if this was what it felt like to be stone – to be nothing more than a statue, suspended in time and space – a frozen slumber. Would it be freedom or a cage?
The evening sun peeked through the clouds, bathing everything in shimmering gold. It was like heaven opened in front of me. Josephine’s head rested in the crook of my arm. One hand was tucked under her chin; the fingers curled into the fabric of my sleeve.
I gently shook my wings free of water. Then I tentatively curled the edge of one wing around Josephine’s shoulder, hugging her to me. She stirred in her sleep and tightened her grip on my sleeve. For a split second, I pictured myself leaning in to kiss her. The internal reprimand came quicker this time, and I turned my head. A painful smile pinched my lips as I stared out over the horizon, content with thoughts of holding her tight, shielding us both from the world below.
Until everything went cold.
Sebastian …
My entire body snapped to attention. Josephine sighed and turned her face into my shoulder, still asleep.
Sebastian …
The voice in my head felt oily, dark, and taunting. It was also familiar. My lip pulled away from my teeth as I sniffed the air and smelled rotting fish. I curled my wing closer around Josephine and studied the sky, then the trees, but I couldn’t see anything. I shot back a mental reply.
Anya. I hadn’t seen her since we’d fought on the bridge. Though it seemed a lifetime ago, her scent and voice were imprinted on my psyche like an inky stain. What do you want?
Laughter reverberated in my brain.
You killed one of your own, little brother.
I growled in my head.
I’m not your brother.
Matthias’ thick voice broke into the mental conversation, squeezing itself uncomfortably into my head. You murdered Thaddeus.
The image of the chimera ricocheted through my head, making me feel sick.
He attacked me. He was threatening the clan. I did what I had to do.
I searched the trees as I relayed my thoughts, but I couldn’t see the gargoyles. I kept my body perfectly still. Josephine continued to sleep, oblivious to the internal conversation.
No, little brother. Anya’s voice slithered against my cranium. You did what the Gypsies ordered you to do. They’ve manipulated you. Brainwashed you. Made you their pet. We offered you freedom once, but you refused. You’ve chosen the wrong side, Sebastian, and you’re going to pay for that.
I forced steadiness into my inner voice. So one minute, you’re calling me your brother like we’re one big happy family, and the next, you’re threatening to kill me? That’s a little dysfunctional, don’t you think?
Anya answered. You turned on your own kind.
He wasn’t a gargoyle. The sight of his hideous form flashed before me again. The darkness inside him that surpassed anything I’d ever felt from the gargoyles – a viscous, primal evil that froze my blood. He’d changed.
We’re more closely linked than you want to believe, Sebastian. Her laughter felt like shocks of static. You can deny it all you want. But, deep down, you know that it’s true.
I ground my claws into the granite. What happened to Thaddeus?
Silence flowed through my brain like a river of sludge. A slight movement in the trees caught my eye. I sensed the shadow creatures’ invisible stares penetrating the cover of leaves, but they were no longer fixed on me. Josephine’s body was still warm and heavy against my arm. Every muscle in my body constricted as Anya’s biting voice returned.
I see your guardian abilities haven’t improved since last we met. You’re a long way from the Circe. There are no Marksmen on the mountain – no one to protect your little Gypsy charge, except you. Tell me, Sebastian, do you still believe you love her?
Something unpleasant wormed its way through my stomach.
What’s it matter to you? I demanded.
It’s so pathetic, this delusional state you continue to live in, believing yourself capable of such a weak human emotion. Although – Anya’s voice turned sickly sweet – she is very pretty. And she smells better than dinner. I wonder what it would be like to rip off her flesh and suck her bones clean.
And then – like a light switching on in a darkened room – I became aware of what my senses had been screaming at me for the last several minutes. The intense cold in my blood, the primal slithering inside my head.
‘No …’
Josephine jerked against me as I spoke aloud. I eased my arm from her waist and rose slowly to a crouch – my eyes never leaving the trees. Laughter rang out, and this time, it was not in my head.
‘The Gypsies thought they could enslave us,’ said Anya, her real voice every bit as frightening as her telepathic one. ‘But with each marking, with each seal they forced upon their creations in their quest for dominance, they unleashed an evil they couldn’t control.’
Tree branches creaked under a sudden gust of wind. Beside me, Josephine snapped awake. I pulled her up with me, wrapping my wing more securely around her.
‘What happened to Thaddeus?’ I yelled into the swirling current.
Anya materialized from the trees with Matthias at her side. Josephine gasped.
My own appearance had a certain demon-like resemblance, but compared to them I could’ve passed as one of Michelangelo’s cherubs. Like Thaddeus, their bodies retained a vaguely human form, but there was no humanity in their expressions. Crackled skin covered their bodies; their bare feet were misshapen and as hideously clawed as their hands. Solid silver eyes narrowed and wicked grins drew tight lips back from terrible teeth.
Josephine gripped my arm. ‘Sebastian …’
Her voice sent every defensive mechanis
m flaring to life. I felt her fear inside my gut, and my instincts shifted into overdrive. Adrenaline streaked through my veins. I backed slowly along the rock, herding Josephine behind me.
‘It’s going to be all right.’ I tried to speak gently, but my voice was already thickening, and my words rumbled with growls. Josephine’s eyes fixed on my mouth as my lip curled, exposing my teeth. ‘Just be ready to run.’ I reached for her hand, which she took, but I felt her flinch against my touch. I glared at Anya. ‘You’re chimeras.’
‘Close enough, little brother,’ she replied. I felt her bitterness like soured milk on my tongue. ‘And you’re as good as dead.’
The trees around us exploded with wind. It hit with the force of a tornado, sending thousands of wooden shards into the air like shrapnel. My wings snapped out like giant shields for Josephine as I ducked.
Debris rammed into me, and I leaned into the storm, my wings taking the brunt of the explosion. It was like smashing against a wall of needles. The wooden splinters pinged off my body without breaking the skin, but it hurt like mad. When it finally stopped, I whirled around with a snarl. But Anya and Matthias were gone.
An inhuman shriek pierced my ears. Before I could react, they were on me. I lost my hold on Josephine as they grabbed me. My arms snapped outward; my shoulders popped. I kicked furiously, but I was being carried, my feet dragging against the rock plateau. I fought desperately for a foothold, but they were moving too fast. My body slammed into the safety rail, which gave way under the force, but it didn’t slow me down.
We plunged over the edge of the cliff.
My wings wouldn’t work. There was a heavy weight against my back. My arms were on fire. Laughter echoed in my ears as we sped towards a mass of granite boulders at the bottom of the ravine. They were going to crush me against the rocks – stone against stone.
Matthias suddenly wailed and convulsed. Josephine straddled his back, clinging to him for dear life. Something bright flashed in her hand as she drove her fist repeatedly into the joints of his wings. Blood gushed. He writhed and released me from his clutches.
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