Page 11

DRAGAN

Desolate Border

Myerdoth slams two pints of Brood Ale onto the table where we sit at the back of the bar.

I roll my neck to ease the tension in my shoulders as I gulp down the whole glass in one go.

Myerdoth takes a more civilized approach as he sips his ale.

I stare around at the nymphs, vampires, golems, elves, and other creatures that call the stronghold their home.

Someone plays a haunting melody on a cello that sits center stage.

“You know this isn’t exactly a place our kind tends to dwell,” I mutter as the server brings over another round of drunks.

“I like it here,” he answers with a shrug. “It’s dark like the Gorge, but there’s just enough light and life that I don’t feel as if I’m trapped in my stone figure.”

I wince, remembering just how big of an absolute asshole I was after breaking free of the Succubus Queen and her daughters. “I abandoned all of you to seek my revenge against Variant…”

“Perhaps.”

“Fuck. How can you even stand to look at me, much less be willing to fight beside me once more? I don’t deserve your loyalty.”

“The past we lived in is gone, Shadow King. We must think about the new future. Already you have changed the road ahead when you became the first gargoyle to walk in daylight.”

“Not all will want to follow these new ways. Some will want to return to the way things used to be… before Variant came to absolute power.”

“That is true. But without the ability to withstand the sun, we are at a serious disadvantage.”

“For the record, it isn’t very pleasant. Too bright and it makes everyone sweat so much, that everything tends to smell like sweaty balls.”

Myerdoth laughs through his nose. “Even so, when we find the Grimoire, perhaps Pyre or Theren can add the daywalking spell into the ritual so we aren’t confined to darkness forever. I would very much like to see a sunrise that won’t turn me to stone.”

“We should not lessen the true meaning of our creator’s gift of life by becoming something we aren’t.” I take my time on the next pint.

“Yes, but you were not there the day the Gorge was attacked. They allowed in rays of sunlight that kept us wrangled like sheep for slaughter,” the other gargoyle says with agony glistening in his gaze.

“Our numbers were either turned to stone and shattered or they were slaughtered by our brethren we thought had died in the first war.”

“I have seen the corrupted gargoyles who fight with Variant.” And they sicken me. I despise them.

“So, you see, we are vulnerable in daylight.”

“I wasn’t arguing that point.”

He nods. “I’m not suggesting we give up our nocturnal lives, but we should be given the opportunity to defend ourselves properly should another attack happen.”

My soul is heavy with guilt. “I should have been there to fight for you all.”

Myerdoth cocks his head inquisitively. “You would have been killed beside us. That would have resulted in the extinction of our race entirely. The sole reason I fought to survive was because there was still hope in the Gorge that you were still alive,” he confesses.

“And don’t you think the continuation of our race is more important than winning a fight? ”

I stand up with my glass. “Of course. Let’s uphold our end of the bargain.” He clicks his glass against mine and we walk out of the bar.

***

DRAGAN

We find a patch of stone on the ground surrounded by the sands of the Desolate Border.

I kneel on the still warm rocks and Myerdoth kneels in front of me.

I spread my fingers and rest my palms against the ground, pulling them back up slowly as shadow begins to well beneath my hands.

Myerdoth channels his energy into me, fueling my power as I begin to forge the mirror of pure shadow.

I speak slowly in a voice barely a whisper.

The language is ancient and, though I don’t know its origins, the words still flow from me with ease.

I feel the frame solidifying, morphing into an ornate pattern so intricate, my sensitive eyes begin to blur if I look at it too closely.

Though I am the one wielding the power, the shadows are an entity in their own right.

The secrets of the mirror are not mine to know.

Myerdoth breaks into a sweat as the shadows pool into the center of the frame, becoming so black, I fear I may fall into the darkness and never return. There’s no reflection. I can’t see myself in the surface of the mirror. Theren will be pleased.

I break the spell and Myerdoth falls back, bracing himself on his hands. “Is it always that exhausting?”

“Yes,” I answer with a chuckle.

He continues to heave in breaths. “Not even a fight to the death has left me so winded.”

“Now imagine maintaining that energy in order to shadow walk while carrying Baron’s heavy ass.”

The gargoyle scowls. “I’d rather not imagine anything involving Baron’s or any other vampire’s ass.”

I chuckle at Myerdoth’s dry humor and lift the impossibly heavy mirror from the ground.

With a lunge, we vault into the sky. Our wings spread wide as we glide towards the stronghold.

However, I sense Theren outside the walls.

Instead of hunkering down for the night, it seems the former Unseelie King has gone for a stroll through the camp where the soldiers recover from the last fight.

I motion to Myerdoth and we both land beside Theren with hardly a sound. Theren appears surprised. But not as surprised as I am to find he’s been aiding the soldiers’ healing. “What the hell are you doing?” I demand.

He stops at the sound of my voice and the radius of the healing spell returns to his body. Theren almost looks embarrassed by his act of kindness. “Noni and I were discussing…”

I lift my hand to cut him off. Myerdoth and I move closer to him and he raises himself to his full, impressive height, as if he’s afraid we’re both going to attack him. Not that I blame him. I’ve had to discourage such thoughts more than once.

But, seeing as how we’re outside the walls of the stronghold, we’d be foolish to attack him when he can freely rely on his taboo magics. “Easy, asshole. We come bearing gifts,” I say as I present him with the mirror.

Theren narrows his eyes at me and I smirk to myself as I hand it over, wanting to see him crumble beneath the weight. My satisfaction never comes as the large mirror seems light as a feather in Theren’s hold.

He looks at it and is clearly impressed. “It’s a quality mirror. Such power would have been greatly honored in Oronrel before all the corruption.”

Something inside me snaps at the look of sadness in Theren’s eyes and a flood of sympathy washes over me. “You were controlled for much longer than we all knew, Theren,” I offer. “Only Eilish was able to see the real you.”

“She did.”

I nod. “And not only that, but, you woke to find you were no longer the king of your people, but someone you trusted had taken everything.” I take a deep breath and amaze myself at the words that come from my mouth next.

“No one understands you more than we do. It may take time for everyone to come around, but you’ve earned my sympathy for now. ”

He looks at me in surprise. “And you have mine. I’m aware of what’s become of your home as well, Dragan,” he replies. “I hope with the help of the Shadow Grimoire, your kind will be able to prosper once more.”

Theren turns away from me and sets the mirror upright on the ground and it begins to float. A dark ring of magic surrounds the mirror as Theren stares into the surface. His reflection appears, but his eyes are black and hollow.

I take a step back and watch the strange interaction. When Theren breaks the spell, something flies out of the mirror and lands in his hand. He turns back to me and offers an unusual skeleton key.

“What is it?” I ask.

“It will allow you to open the crypt where the Grimoire is hidden.”

I hold my hand out and accept the key. The very second it touches my hand, a sense of rightness swells in my chest. “This was… made from stone?” The smooth, polished surface of the key shines like glistening marble. At the base of the handle, rests a gargoyle’s silhouette with eyes of jewels.

“Yes,” Theren answers.

A flood of emotion wells up within me. And I suddenly feel like I’m home again. It’s a feeling I struggle to explain and one I’ve never felt before. I look over at Theren. “Why do I feel this way?”

“Because the key was fashioned from the same stone that birthed you.”

***

FLUMPH

Mercenary Stronghold

The barracks is hot beneath the scorchin’ sun.

I ain’t smell nothin’ but the stench of sweaty asscrack and musty pits.

For fuck sake my wee little nose all scrunchy-like cause I feelin’ like I might fuckin’ spew my breakfast all over Noni boots.

As if the rays o’ light weren’t already hurtin’ my fuckin’ eyes, now I gots to deal with the other giants kickin’ dirt up into my face while they’s fightin’.

Noni an’ me… we be fightin’ too.

She all sneaky-like when I tries to pin her. She hit me right in the throat an’ I falls over, gaspin’ while my poor lungs burn cause I can’t fuckin’ breathe. When I finally gets some breath back, I sweeps my legs under Noni so she fall on her ass.

We was sparrin’ with them other little faes, but now I want revenge. Too bad Noni much quicker than I thinks. She roll away an jump up, glarin’ at me with them freaky ass eyes o’ hers.

The other faes get all ups in our faces cause they knows I a badass.

They push us apart an’ we all takes a break.

I dig ‘round in Noni bag for them cookies she always makin’ an’ I gobbles them up till my fuzzy little belly full.

Noni give the rest o’ them cookies to the other faes.

It nice to be round little guys like us.

Motis lay on the ground with his face all red an’ whatnot. He a weird sort a fae with a big ‘ol mane ‘round his face, but he ain’t no lion critter.

“I heard someone say that vampire eat fae like us,” he say. He be talkin’ ‘bout Baron.

“Maybe he eat you, but not me. I show him that Flumph ain’t no snack. I a warrior now ‘an he show me lotsa respects.”

“That ain’t what I hear,” Motis say like he know.

“Then youze might wanna clean yer fuckin’ ears ‘cause you ain’t hearin’ good,” I snorts.

“That not true. I hear lots. We little fae know everything going on in this place. King Galmer tell us to go peek on you lot.”

“Bunch o’ lies,” I says.

But Motis shake his head real determined like.

“No lie. I even know that all of ya are looking for bunches of prophecies, but you isn’t telling the king ‘bout them prophecies. He don’t trust nobody that keep secrets.

” Motis stick his tongue out at me, but he a fool.

Now I gots to go tell my companions that the king sendin’ him little spies to look in on us.

Noni an’ I shares a look and scurry off all secret-like.

When we gets to the compound, I go lookin’ fer Pretty while she go lookin’ fer Pyre.

Fang Face an’ Mask arrive a lot quicker than Pretty.

These days I wonderin’ if Baron and Pyre attached like them spooky fuckin’ snakes with two heads. Pretty finally show up.

“Galmer got them itty bitty faes sneakin’ n peekin’ on us...” I say.

“What?” Baron demands.

“What Mr. Flumph trying to say,” Noni interrupt. “Is that the horsey king has small fae spying on us. He don’t trust secret-y people and we got lots of secrets.”

I glare at her, all mad like. “Don’t speak fer me!

” Then I look at the others. “What I is tryin’ to say was that the king don’t trust secrety people an’ we gots lotsa secrets, so he sendin’ a bunch o’ critters like Motis.

But the king be real stupid-like ‘cause Motis told us he was doin’ the spyin’. ”

I looks up an’ see my companions all got real angry looks on their faces.