by Everly Frost
Howl doesn’t react. I might as well be a butterfly beating at him. The last of my oxygen slips through my lips.
He leans over me, pressing his face close to mine. His lips caress my cheek and whisper into my ear, drawing out each word. “He holds your true power. If you hadn’t given it to him… well… even my heartstone might not protect me from you.”
He nuzzles my ear. “You would be truly formidable.”
Darkness takes over.
“Sleep now, little doll.”
9
I awake pressed against cold stone.
“Marbella?” Jasper’s worried face comes into focus, so close to mine that I can make out golden flecks in his brown eyes. I can’t believe I never noticed them before.
I rub my pounding head, brushing off specks of dirt from the floor where I lay. “Jasper, what happened?” I shoot upright, squinting, ignoring the pain in my neck. “Where’s Baelen?”
The first thing I see are the bars running from the floor to the ceiling opposite us. The second thing is the Storm floating next to them. Her shoulders shake as she glides back and forth as if she’s pacing or maybe… crying?
I scan our cell from the moist stone walls to the dripping rivers of water running down one side of it, back to the dirty floor. Beyond the bars, a long tunnel stretches into the distance. Light creeps in from a cluster of spider webs in one corner of the ceiling. A second cell rests next to ours, thick bars separating us. The Phoenix slumps inside it, its head cast down. It doesn’t twitch and fight like before. It looks unharmed, but its sad eyes blink at me from between the bars. I still can’t hear its voice.
My blood runs cold. “Jasper, where’s Baelen?”
“I’m sorry, Marbella. Howl moved him.”
My world spins. I grip his shoulders, needing to anchor myself somehow. “That’s not possible. Only I…” My pitch rises. I attempt to push away the rising panic but it only gets worse. “Only I can move him. Nobody else can touch him. Only me…”
“Stop. Listen to me.” Jasper’s calm breaks through. “Howl moved Baelen using his heartstone power, but he couldn’t touch him. Just like the other gargoyles. As soon as he went near Baelen, Howl got burned.”
My eyes widen. I’d shot lightning through Howl without any effect on him. Now Jasper is telling me that Baelen hurt him? “He actually got hurt? Like… hurt hurt.”
Jasper’s reply is grim. “His hand caught on fire. The skin on his palm burned away like he’d shoved it into acid. He definitely wasn’t happy about it.”
Llion had described Baelen as scorched earth and acid rain. I shake my head, remembering Howl’s last words to me. “He told me that Baelen holds my true power. That I somehow weakened myself by giving it to him. You’re seriously telling me that Baelen hurt him?”
The Storm speaks for the first time. “It’s my fault.” She falters toward me, but stops, worrying at her lip. “When you accidentally connected with Baelen yesterday, you merged your power for the first time, but you must have left some of it behind. Then when you were learning to move him, I told you to listen for his heartbeat. I should have realized… you love him so much, you gave him the most powerful shield you could. You layered your essence over him like a cloak.”
“So I accidentally gave him part of my power and then sealed it in with even more of my power?” I don’t know how to receive this news. My greatest fear is that Baelen will be hurt while he’s vulnerable. Knowing that he’s safe and protected only goes halfway to calming my fears. I need to see that he’s okay to truly believe it. At the same time, I’ve just found out that my power is diminished and that means I can’t protect Jasper and the Phoenix like I need to.
Jasper says, “Marbella, believe me when I say that right now Baelen is a lot safer than we are.”
I focus on Jasper, really focus for the first time. He’s covered in blood. The welts I’d left on him are nothing compared to the new wounds across his body, the torn material at his chest, the nick at the side of his neck where Cassian almost killed him. Yet, here he is, trying to comfort me.
I’m not ashamed when tears fill my eyes. “Jasper, I’m truly sorry. What I did was reckless. I thought I could beat Howl.”
Jasper nods. “I thought you could too.” He holds out his arms. “Come here.”
I lean into him and he slides his arms around me, gentle against my bruised ribs. I turn my face into his chest and let my tears fall, conscious not to press too hard against his wounds.
The Storm drops to the floor beside us. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”
I turn my head to see her. “Storm, you have to explain what happened out there.”
She swallows, twisting her hands in her lap. “When I became the Storm, I vowed that I would never harm a gargoyle. I wanted to protect my people… I never thought about the consequences of making that vow.”
She lifts her eyes to mine. “Do you remember how I told you that a small part of me could escape the Vault when there was a natural storm outside?”
“I do.”
“Well… ten years ago, I watched Howl kill the gargoyle King.” She shudders. “I never felt rage toward another gargoyle until that day. I tried to stop him. But every strike I aimed at him bounced right back at me, burned me, hurt me. I realized that if I tried to kill him, I would kill myself instead.
“Then the natural storm was over and I was sucked back to the Vault. Mai Reverie was the Storm Princess then. I wept a river of rain that day and she was… so calm with me.”
Fresh tears wash down my cheeks. The Elven Command had killed Mai, trying to make it look like the Storm’s doing. They used her life to give them access to the deep magic they needed to create the curse that would have forced Baelen to kill me. Jasper strokes my hair, soothing motions across my head and down my back where my hair has come loose from its usual braid.
The Storm says, “My oath to never hurt a gargoyle is absolute. I can’t touch Howl or his soldiers, no matter what they do.”
Jasper says, “I guess that means you can never hurt me either.”
Her eyes shoot wide. “I would never hurt you, Jasper Grace. Whether you are gargoyle or elf, or part of both… I only wish I could have helped you today.”
“Jasper,” I whisper, tilting my head back, something dawning on me. “If you’re part gargoyle, you can handle a gargoyle heartstone.”
He looks down at me, confused. He didn’t hear my conversation with Howl so he doesn’t know what I’m talking about.
I explain, “Howl said that elves can’t touch gargoyle heartstones. They kill us.” I peer at the Storm. “Unless he was lying?”
“No, it’s true but…”
“Then Jasper can try to take it—”
“No!” The Storm’s shout echoes around us. “We aren’t certain about Jasper’s heritage. What if we’re wrong? We can’t risk his life like that.” She shoots to her feet and resumes her pacing. “We’ve taken too many risks already. And Jasper has born the brunt of them.”
She stops in front of me. I stare up at her in surprise as swirls of lightning glint around her hands, suddenly clenched at her side. “I won’t let you risk his life again, Princess.”
Her emotion surprises me. I’ve only known her in her true form for a day, but until now she’s been contained, almost aloof, definitely keeping a distance. For the first time, I see cracks of vulnerability. If the Storm is right about Jasper caring for me, then I’m pretty sure the Storm is beginning to care for him. No doubt a complication she doesn’t want, but she isn’t afraid to show it right now.
I give Jasper a final, gentle hug before I draw away from him. “The Storm is right. You’ve supported me all this way, Jasper. I acted out of fear and anger today and it led me down the wrong path. I won’t take a risk like that again.”
The Storm’s show of emotion hasn’t been lost on Jasper. “Elyria,” he says, drawing her attention from me. “I know you’re worried.” One corner of his mouth twitches upward. “But I�
�m not that easy to kill.”
“I saw you take down twenty-eight gargoyles today. You are a great warrior.” She’s sincere. And deadly serious. “But all great warriors fall. There is always someone bigger, more brutish, more cruel… And I can’t protect you from any of them in this place.”
I understand her frustration. She and I share a power and we’re still figuring out exactly what that means and how to use it. But what we do know is that it’s useless against our enemies right now: I can’t stop Howl and she can’t stop the gargoyles that might attack Jasper. At the end of the day, she’s as desperate to protect Jasper as I am.
Jasper brushes off his knees as he rises to his feet. “It’s not your job to protect me, Elyria.”
“But you’re my friend. I’m new at this whole ‘friend’ thing, but isn’t that what friends do?”
“I guess it is.” He appraises her for a moment. His eyes crinkle at the corners. “Since we’re friends, that means you have to let me protect you too.”
“Protect me?” Her jaw drops. “I don’t need protecting.”
His gaze passes from the tiny frown between her eyebrows to the defiant tilt of her chin. “Protecting someone doesn’t only mean making sure they don’t die in battle. It means looking after them, making sure they aren’t hurt in other ways.”
“Nothing can hurt me.”
“Are you sure?”
Her gaze drops to the ground. Once more I’m on the outside, an observer of their conversation, but I don’t mind. The Storm definitely has trust issues and if Jasper can get her to open up, that can only make things easier for all of us.
The Storm chews her lip, clearly struggling with her emotions. She glares at the wall behind Jasper, not meeting his eyes. “It… would have hurt me… if you died today.”
She immediately scowls, clearly not liking her own admission. Then her expression clears and her gaze shoots to his, as if she’s landed on a clever solution. “So you have to protect me… by not dying.”
Jasper draws himself up to his full height before closing the gap between them. “I promise I’ll protect you by not dying today. Or any other day.”
Her chin shoots up. “Good.”
“But you have to help me by telling me when you’re scared or worried.”
She gazes up at him, eyes wide, lips pressed together, suddenly vulnerable. “That will be hard for me…” Her promise comes out as a whisper. “But, okay.”
“Okay then.” He gives her a gentle nod, an agreement reached. “Have you made any progress with the bars?”
The change of subject shifts her focus and she seems relieved. It can’t be easy for her talking about her emotions after hundreds of years of continuous rage. “I’ve tried everything. Howl has used the heartstone to seal us in. I haven’t been able to break through.”
There are no windows to tell me what time it is. We’d reached the mountain at around midnight and I can only assume we’re now in Howl’s Palace. “How long was I out?”
Jasper offers his hand to help me stand up. “Most of the night,” he replies. “I was a little worried when you didn’t wake up straight away, but Elyria promised me you just needed time to recover. I was able to sleep while she kept watch over us.”
The Storm shrugs. “I don’t need sleep.” She frowns at my hand linked in Jasper’s and then quickly looks away. “I can’t sense what’s going on outside this cell, but I estimate it’s mid-morning by now. When he locked us in here, Howl said he would present you to his court today, but he didn’t say when.”
“Great. I’ll be his trophy.” And a fine trophy I’ll be, looking like I’ve been dragged through mud. I run my hand through my hair and pull out a twig. “Seriously, what is on the floor of this place?”
The Storm wrinkles her nose. “I don’t think we want to know.”
Distant footsteps draw our attention to the tunnel beyond. Four figures appear in the distance—one silhouette is female and three are male, although one of the males looks different to the others.
The Storm moves to the side and Jasper draws level with me as the distant figures stride closer. It soon becomes apparent that two of the males are soldiers—that’s if the wickedly sharp-tipped spears they carry are any indication. The female and the different-looking male walk ahead of them. The soldiers don’t exactly prod them, but the two in front hurry along the corridor as if they expect to be shoved at any moment.
They draw to a halt in front of the bars. The female is scantily dressed in an aqua halter-neck top that barely conceals her breasts, her lower half swathed in a transparent skirt that wouldn’t hide anything except for her barely-there underwear. The male wears a vest and long pants, both navy blue. The Storm gasps beside me and I know it’s not the female’s attire that shocks her.
The male doesn’t have wings.
I keep my expression deadpan as one of the soldiers leans forward and taps his spear against the bars. At the same time, the air inside my ears pops.
The Storm whispers, “The seal on this cage just broke.”
That would explain the change of pressure in my ears.
The female says, “My name is Carmen. King Howl says you won’t cause any trouble. But he wants you to know that if you do, these soldiers are ordered to kill me.”
She’s completely expressionless. Blank eyes. Staring straight past me. She holds herself rigid, back straight, her spun-gold hair gathered upward into a loose bun. “Will you come with us, please?”
The soldier who broke the seal slides the bars to the side where they overlap with the cell the Phoenix is still contained in.
The firebird’s voice suddenly breaks into my mind. Don’t worry about me, Princess. Howl will keep me safe and well. He wants me as his prize. The same way he wants you.
The seal on our cell must have been what was stopping us from communicating. My concern for her cannot be contained, and the Phoenix rises up and gives me a stern look. Focus on staying alive, Princess. I trust you to come for me when you can.
I will, I say. I promise.
Now that our path is no longer barred, both soldiers quickly point their spears at the female. She winces as one of them jabs her lower back.
“There’s no need for that,” I say, alarmed at the way he presses the blade against her side as if he wants me to make a move. “We won’t cause you any trouble. Tell us where you want us to go and we’ll come quietly.”
The female swallows, her eyes watering. “You will come with me to Harem Hall.” She gestures at the wingless male but doesn’t look at him. “Your servant will go with Rhain to Slave Station.”
I hesitate, sensing Jasper’s gaze heavy on me. “We’re to be separated?”
“Only while we prepare you both to be presented at Crimson Court. Please understand your male servant cannot enter Harem Hall. It is only for females.”
I clear my throat. The name ‘Harem Hall’ combined with the female’s clothing doesn’t leave much doubt about what goes on in the place where I’m headed.
“Please,” I say. “Lead the way.”
Carmen looks to the soldiers, waiting for them to raise their spears and allow her to pass by. They take their time and I have to grit my teeth against my rising anger as they finally permit her to turn and walk ahead of us. Blood trickles down her lower back where the soldier’s spear punctured her skin.
The wingless male is next, taking his place beside her but keeping as far to the right as possible. He maintains firm eye contact with the ground. Jasper and I follow and the soldiers bring up the rear. The Storm floats over our heads since there’s plenty of space in the cavernous ceiling.
Halfway along the corridor, her urgent whisper breaks the silence. Thank goodness the gargoyles can’t hear her. “If you’re splitting up, who should I go with? You or Jasper?”
One glance at Jasper tells me he’s going to say she should go with me, but I can tell by the thick frown marring his forehead that he’s still figuring out how to speak to Elyria without
sounding odd.
I jump in first. “Jasper,” I say. Then I turn my head as if I was addressing him instead of answering the Storm. “Don’t forget to… um… wash your feet.” I cringe. Seriously Marbella? That’s the best you can come up with?
He’s not happy. And it has nothing to do with his feet. The muscle clenching in his jaw tells me he really doesn’t like me going anywhere without the Storm, but I silently beg him not to argue.
“Good,” says the Storm, “Because I don’t like the sound of Slave Station. Even less than the sound of Harem Hall.”
I feel better knowing that the Storm is going with Jasper when we reach the end of the tunnel and the wingless gargoyle, Rhain, gestures Jasper toward the staircase on the right hand side. Carmen proceeds up the stairs to the left and I don’t want her to become a pincushion again. With a final worried exchange of looks with Jasper, I hurry after her, swiveling once as Jasper disappears up the other staircase with Rhain and one of the soldiers. The Storm floats behind him, worry radiating out from her until she’s out of sight.
For now, I’m on my own.
10
The soldier following behind me is the one who jabbed Carmen. I consider the consequences if I were to accidentally-on-purpose trip and shoot a dose of lightning into him. But I promised the Storm I wouldn’t take any more chances and I need to stick to my word.
We travel up several more flights of stairs. Each one is preceded by a landing and a tunnel stretching from it. Howl certainly didn’t take any chances throwing us in the deepest cell inside the mountain.
Finally we emerge into an entryway and a courtyard. Sunlight streams around us and I have to blink for a full minute before I become accustomed to the light again. I try to focus on my surroundings as I follow Carmen, memorizing the route back to the Phoenix.
At first I thought I was in the middle of a single large castle, but I soon discover that Howl’s Palace is made up of multiple disconnected buildings, each built into the natural rock structure. I’m surprised by the simple beauty of the rock gardens surrounding each building. We pass one covered with white vines bearing delicate ivory flowers. Another is constructed from rust-colored pebbles and flat amber stones interspersed with vibrant moss. Several gargoyles dressed in navy blue vests tend the gardens as we walk through.