Grey (The Romany Outcasts Series, Book 1)

by Christi J. Whitney

  She surprised me by smiling back. ‘Well, I don’t always do as I’m told.’ Her smile widened. ‘I think that’s another thing we have in common, don’t we?’

  My head buzzed. ‘I think we do.’

  She studied the advertisements scrolling across the movie screen. ‘I did want to ask you something, though.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘Will you come to the Circe tomorrow?’ There was something in her expression I couldn’t fully read, a kind of unexplained determination. ‘To see the opening show, I mean. I’d feel better, if you were there.’

  Protective stirrings filtered through my head, simmering, like a pot of hot coffee. ‘I thought your family said everything was fine.’

  ‘Yes, they did.’

  ‘But you don’t believe them.’

  ‘Of course not. My dad and Quentin are good at smoothing things over with the troupe. They’re in charge. People follow. It’s how we work. No one questions my father. What he says goes. But I guess you could say I know him a little too well. Something’s been up for a while. Something that’s got them nervous.’

  My chest felt tight, as though I sucked in too much air. ‘Like what?’

  Josephine paused, the silence like a foot hovering above a tightrope.

  ‘I’m not sure yet,’ she said. I noticed a crinkle in the corner of her eye. She was choosing her words; probably with the same care I was choosing mine. I knew my reasons. But what were hers? ‘Anyway, I could use some moral support,’ she continued, turning to meet my gaze. ‘So will you come?’

  I’d just convinced myself I needed to stay away from Josephine. Her clan, her family…they weren’t my business. And besides, they seemed fully capable of taking care of themselves. I thought about my life before she’d arrived in town, before everything started happening to me. I wanted that back: my future, my plans. Normal hair, for crying out loud! I could walk away from this. But as my eyes continued to look into Josephine’s, the conflict inside me escalated.

  It was just attending a performance, right? Everyone else would be there, too. It didn’t have to be more than that. Just moral support, like she said. I nodded. ‘Of course I’ll be there, Josephine.’

  ‘Thanks, Sebastian,’ she said, looking relieved. ‘You’re a good friend.’

  Josephine allowed the pendant to drop from her hand, and it hung heavily against her chest, highlighted by the V-necked shape of her shirt. It glimmered like a beacon, calling to me so strongly that I couldn’t resist reaching out. As I did, Josephine’s eyes fixed on my wrist.

  ‘You know, your tattoo is really beautiful,’ she said, leaning closer.

  My arm froze in midair, so close to her neck that I could feel the heat of her skin. Josephine’s eyes widened as her gaze shifted from my tattoo to my face. That strange sensation passed through me again. I felt it keenly, but this time, I could see in Josephine’s face that she felt it too.

  The two dandelions were barely an inch apart.

  My lungs quit working.

  It was like two magnets straining to connect. My wrist ached with the force of it. Inside its glass casing, the dandelion sparked with light, and my tattoo seemed to both absorb the energy and reflect it. Was this a part of the process Augustine had talked about?

  We hovered there, locked in the powerful current. Warning signals prickled my spine, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to be with her, whatever that meant. I would deal with the consequences later.

  ‘Sebastian, are you okay?’

  Josephine’s gaze darted over my face. I was flushed and feverish again, and it felt like everything inside me was on the verge of exploding. A cold chunk of ice settled in my stomach. I opened my mouth to say something. Anything. But I was speechless.

  Then, a putrid stench filled my nostrils, jerking me from my trance. People were pointing and rising from their seats. I scanned the room, confused. And then I saw the cause of the commotion: the auditorium was filling with oily black smoke.

  ‘What is that?’ Josephine gasped, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

  Her question was answered by the screech of the fire alarm.

  There was instant panic. We bolted from our seats as people poured into the aisles, pushing and shoving to get out. I sniffed the air and gagged. The smoke didn’t smell like fire. Because it wasn’t smoke at all.

  It was mist.

  We were suddenly dragged into the aisle by the wild surge of people. The crowd was in a panicked frenzy, turning quickly into a stampede. I saw Mitchell pushing Katie into the opposite aisle as Avery ploughed them a path. But our aisle was too full, and people were climbing over each other to move. I caught Josephine’s arm to keep her on her feet, but it was like fighting a riptide in a churning ocean. My grip broke. She lost her balance, going down among the trampling feet. Her terrified eyes caught mine.

  ‘Sebastian, don’t leave me!’

  Her fear ignited my bizarre instincts. The world sharpened; focused with crystal clarity. I pushed forward and plucked Josephine from the raging current and into an empty row. She looked at me with frantic eyes, and I began to pant against the onslaught of driving impulses. Before she could speak, I swept her into my arms.

  ‘Hang on,’ I snarled. ‘I’m going to get you out.’

  I braced my foot against the back of a seat and launched forward, easily clearing the row in front of me. I hit the ground and sprang again, jumping rows like hurdles until I’d cleared them all. I catapulted over the rail to the ground floor.

  My feet landed like they were made of pillows. I rushed for the emergency exit beneath the screen which was nearly unoccupied. Most of the crowd had bottlenecked the auditorium doors. Wrapping my arms tighter around Josephine, I fought through stampeding horde. My only concern was getting her out. I kicked the door open and burst through.

  My legs trembled with adrenaline, but the rush I felt from my new abilities was overwhelmed by my panic. What if someone had seen what I’d done? A few other patrons had followed us out, but most of the crowd had exited the front of the building. If anyone had witnessed anything, they were too wrapped up in their own hysteria to care. I shook myself off, relieved. Then I realized I was still holding Josephine in my arms. She gaped at me in astonishment.

  ‘Oh, wow,’ she breathed.

  ‘Are you all right?’ I asked, setting her down as gently – and quickly – as I could.

  Josephine searched the depths of my hood. I sensed her curious uncertainty, but this time, also mingled with fear. Every emotion coming from her felt as real as my own. But I also felt the undercurrent of that connection between us; the tie I was supposed to break with her.

  ‘Yeah, I’m fine,’ she replied.

  Sirens echoed in the distance, followed by the soft buzz of a phone. Josephine pressed a hand to her pocket. She knew who it was. So did I. Instead of answering the call, she blinked up at me, and I could see the whirlwind of questions in her expression. Her phone went off again. She wrapped her fingers around it, but she didn’t take her eyes off me.

  ‘You need to find him,’ I said.

  ‘I know,’ she replied. Josephine looked ready to bolt and reluctant to leave, all at once. She tilted her head, scrutinizing me again. The air around me felt like a furnace. She opened her mouth, but her phone sounded again, driving a nail through whatever words were on her lips. A small line formed between her brows. ‘You’ll come find me tomorrow, right? You’ll be at the Circe?’

  ‘Of course,’ I replied, trying to manage the adrenaline that was still wreaking havoc on my nervous system. ‘I wouldn’t miss it. Now hurry and find Quentin before he calls out the National Guard.’

  I smiled and stepped out of the way. Josephine studied me for a moment, then turned and ran around the building. As soon as she was gone, I collapsed against the wall. I closed my eyes, groping for oxygen.

  ‘Josephine,’ I whispered.

  She made me feel alive, made me feel things I’d never felt before. Her smile, her voice; ever
ything about her made me want to shout her name from the rooftops like a crazy person. Did I really want to be free from that? I sank to the ground, my head in my hands. I didn’t know the answer.

  Suddenly, a hand closed around my throat. I gasped, my eyes bugging open. Something slammed me into the side of the building. Pain exploded in my skull. The edges of my vision went black. I was rocketed through the air, then my face met concrete. The snap of pain cleared my head. Two massive figures held me down, gray faces hovering over me.

  ‘Time’s up,’ Anya hissed.

  She rammed her hand into my neck, choking off my air. I clawed her arms frantically, but she was stronger than me. I couldn’t get up, couldn’t breathe. Blood pounded in my ears, and everything went blurry. Thick smoke swirled above me.

  And then, all was darkness.

  19. Words or Actions

  I forced my eyes open and found myself staring into the high rafters of the cathedral. My head was killing me, and the dust in the room burned my parched throat. I could still see the glint of Anya’s silver eyes as she strangled me.

  I sat up with a start. Pain ruptured in my brain. I groaned, pressing a hand to my face. Blood was caked along my temple. The sanctuary was dark, but I had no trouble seeing. I was beginning to feel grateful for one of my strange new abilities.

  I braced my hands against the stone floor and gingerly pushed myself to my feet. I was woozy and a bit weak, but otherwise fine. I took a deep breath, fighting off the pain, and called out.

  ‘Augustine!’

  My voice echoed in the sanctuary. There was no answer. Then I remembered what he’d said about the bell tower. I searched until I located a small door at the front of the room. It creaked annoyingly on its hinges. A spiral staircase – rotted and ready to collapse – wound up a narrow shaft. I placed my foot tentatively on the first step. It held. Forty steps later, I was on a small platform surrounded by dust-laden support beams. Four enormous bells hung precariously from the rafters, covered with grime and cobwebs.

  ‘Augustine?’

  There was a flapping sound, and I whirled just in time to duck as a swarm of bats poured from the belfry and down the shaft.

  Bats in the belfry. How appropriate.

  Four sets of rectangular windows opened to the outside. I eased over to the nearest one. The pale moon bathed the cathedral in an eerie light. The roof spread before me: a maze of ledges and walkways, lofty spires and ornate arches. I hoisted myself over the windowsill and stepped outside. Stationed at every corner and along the ledges were statues.

  They looked ominous perched against the backdrop of night. Their granite bodies clung to the roof, their carved faces fierce and threatening. They were a silent army, protecting the cathedral from some unseen enemy. I lifted my head as the night wind jerked invisible fingers through my hair. There was something peaceful in the atmosphere. It made me feel strangely at home.

  ‘I’ve been waiting for you, Sebastian.’

  I dropped low behind an arch as I peered through the dark shadows. I spotted the figure of Augustine, poised between two winged statues, looking out over the town. I moved cautiously towards him.

  ‘I was delayed due to unconsciousness.’

  ‘My apologies,’ he said. ‘As I’ve said before, Anya tends to be impatient.’

  ‘You told me to come back when I’d made a decision.’

  Augustine turned to face me. He placed his hand on one of the stone creatures, rubbing its coarse pewter head. ‘Perhaps I have grown a little impatient as well.’ His eyes hardened like black marble. ‘You did not follow my advice.’

  ‘How so?’

  ‘The Romany girl,’ he replied. ‘You did not stay away from her. I warned you that it would be increasingly difficult to break ties with her. There is still so much you don’t understand. I am trying to help you, Sebastian Grey. You, however, are being far too stubborn.’

  He stroked the back and wings of the statue, and I watched warily, half expecting the beast to come to life at any moment and crush me with its teeth and claws.

  ‘I can’t stay away from her,’ I replied.

  The scar along Augustine’s face drew taut. ‘Then you will be throwing your life away, boy. Why can you not see that? Surely you know by now that you have potential for great things, things that are above the capacity of ordinary people.’

  ‘I don’t care,’ I snapped. ‘Ordinary sounds just fine to me.’

  Augustine propped himself against the ledge. The starlight reflected in his eyes as he glanced upward. When he spoke, his voice was carefully calm. ‘Sebastian, you have a far greater destiny.’

  ‘To be a guardian. I know that.’

  Augustine’s brow arched. ‘Are you still so afraid to use the word, to admit what you are?’ His long fingers returned to the statue, and he smiled as I watched his movements. ‘Beautiful, aren’t they. For centuries, gargoyles have symbolized protection. Their images are everywhere, from cathedrals to cemeteries. My ancestors helped carve many such statues, and their faces adorned our wagons and homes. It was once believed that their demonic appearance could frighten away evil spirits.’

  I studied the ferocious expression on the creature’s face, remembering the pictures from Hugo’s book. ‘But that’s just superstition.’

  ‘All superstition is rooted in truth, Sebastian.’ His hand dropped from the statue. ‘It was the Romany clan who first discovered how to bring gargoyles to life. The clan once consisted of skilled masons and architects, a long time ago. According to our legends, the Romanys found a way to breathe life into stone, to fashion true protectors – not just in form – but in action.’ Augustine’s intense gaze met mine. ‘These creatures are more than just symbols.’

  My chest tightened. ‘So you mean these statues are…’

  ‘Alive?’ he said, completing my thought. ‘No, not all gargoyles are like you. Most are simply architecture. But there are some that do sleep, waiting for a time when they can be awakened again.’

  ‘How?’‘That is precisely the knowledge I hope to gain. You are intriguing, Sebastian Grey. I want to know more about you: where you came from, how you were brought to life.’ He laced his fingers together. ‘There was a time when I thought the Corsis might have the answers I needed. After all, they harbored a shadow creature. Unfortunately, your brother knows very little.’ Augustine sighed disdainfully. ‘But together, you and I can discover your past. Don’t you want to know, Sebastian? Don’t you ever wonder who you really are?’

  ‘No. I don’t care about my past.’

  ‘Sentiments you carried before you found out you were a gargoyle. But surely, this new heritage of yours changes things.’

  Bitter anger twisted up my throat. ‘This isn’t my heritage. And I’m not like these statues. I haven’t been asleep.’

  ‘Are you so sure about that, Sebastian?’ He caressed one of the creature’s long, bat-like wings. ‘But it doesn’t really matter what you believe. You are waking now, and once fully awakened, nothing will be able to stop the process. You will be trapped by the Gypsies, just like your brethren before you.’

  ‘No,’ I protested, but my voice sounded dull. My eyes fixed on the fierce statues before me. There was no way I had anything in common with these things. Then I curled my hand into a fist, and the pricks of my claws dug into my gray skin.

  My claws.

  My gray skin.

  ‘So you see,’ continued Augustine. ‘I wouldn’t make hasty decisions, if I were you. You have much to learn.’ He moved towards me, his voice smooth, almost hypnotic. ‘We could teach you. Train you.’

  My body felt as heavy as the granite effigy around me. My head was pounding, my thoughts collapsing like fragments of a condemned building. But I had to hold it together. I had to stay focused. I steeled myself and met Augustine’s gaze. ‘Why would you do that?’

  ‘So you can be free of them, once and for all,’ he said urgently.

  As I looked into his face, a sudden thought came to me; a q
uestion he’d never really answered. My eyes narrowed suspiciously. ‘Why are you really trying to keep me from Josephine Romany?’

  ‘That’s my business,’ he replied, gazing past me to the starry sky beyond. ‘Not that it should matter to you. Perhaps you’ve been too enthralled with her to notice, but the Romany clan has its own host of protectors; human protectors. They have no need of you.’

  ‘You have something against the Romanys, I take it.’

  He chuckled maliciously. ‘You could say that.’

  ‘Who are you, really?’

  His laughter died, and a brutal expression warped his features. ‘I was an Outcast, and my lineage was a proud one. But that is no more. As to who I am now, I’m simply someone who wants to help you, to free you from the clutches of these ignorant clans who don’t understand your potential. They don’t deserve a guardian like you, Sebastian. Not the Corsis, and certainly not the Romanys.’

  I regarded him carefully. Were Augustine and his little band the enemies Josephine’s family had spoken of? I felt my blood growing warm with protective instincts. ‘Thanks for the offer, but I’m going to stay with my brother.’

  Augustine lifted his chin. ‘And the Romanys?’

  ‘That’s my business.’

  ‘I see,’ he replied, his voice as smooth as polished glass. ‘I told you to stay away from the Romany girl, and you continue to refuse. You’ve backed me into a corner, Sebastian Grey. I do not want to harm the girl.’

  White-hot rage blazed through me. I flew forward, grabbing Augustine by the shirt, and shoved his body against the ledge. ‘If you touch her…’

  Pain seared through my side. I gasped and pulled back, catching the glint of a blade. Augustine positioned a knife threateningly in front of him.

  ‘You’re not at full strength yet, Sebastian. Don’t be foolish.’ He aimed the tip of the knife at my chest. The blade wasn’t smooth or shiny, yet it sparkled as though it was reflecting the stars above. ‘Now, I suggest you back away.’

  I snarled quietly but obeyed. Blood seeped through my jacket. I struggled to remain on my feet, feeling shaky and disoriented. Augustine twirled the unusual weapon lightly in his hand as he moved past the statues.