Page 24 of The Gargoyle’s Glade (The Gargoyle Knights #3)

Greta, who was organizing several vials of elixir on Merry’s kitchen table, looked at him curiously.

The door was open, and the chatter of the animals camped in her yard was a steady background noise.

The pile of gifts had migrated to her porch, an ever-growing mound of berries, flowers, stones and a multitude of shiny objects.

I appreciated the gesture but still wanted them all gone.

“Belmont?” she inquired, seeing him open his wings wide and stalk from one side to the other as he made that peculiar corvid knocking sound.

Greta stilled, eyes a bit glassy as she communicated with her bird.

“Oh,” she breathed finally, and one of the falcons swooped down and dropped something on the steps.

She picked up the item, holding it up for me to see.

The band was broken, one whole strand of the braid undone, but I recognized it immediately. “Merry’s bracelet? Where did they find that?”

“Was it missing?” she asked.

“Yes. I don’t know how long, but I noticed it was gone after she collapsed.”

“It’s leaking magic,” she said frowning. “I don’t know how else to describe it. Not necessarily anything bad, it feels protective in a way, but it’s… odd. May I have Rylan examine it?”

“Of course.” Greta grimaced and pocketed the jewelry while Belmont did another display. The animals quieted, several small groups wandering further away. “Is something happening?”

“I don’t understand completely, but they’re telling Belmont that Merry is… keeping something? There’s something about a celebration. No, a ceremony.”

“Keeper?” I frowned.

“Maybe?” She squinted, listening. “Yes, that’s it. Keeper.”

“There’s not been one for eons. Are you sure?”

Greta shrugged. “That’s what he says. Belmont?

” The bird tilted his head, using his one good eye to take in his mistress.

“You and Archimedes weren’t drawn to come here, not like them.

Why?” The knocking changed to trilling, then he went quiet.

“I see.” She frowned, sagging a bit. “We should have been asking them more questions. I’m so sorry. ”

“What did he say?”

“They were not drawn because they’re already bonded, but they would have been compelled to attend the ceremony out of respect.

” Her eyes strayed to Merry and stayed there.

“We failed her. All of us. She came to us, with that book. We knew she was starting to hear them speak to her, I should have thought to ask?—”

“She was regularly seeing Ophelia, living with her even, at first. There was no reason for you to interrogate your bird.”

“The moment she mentioned animals it should have occurred to one of us to check with them. So foolish.” She turned, hand trembling as she pointed at the vials and very efficiently instructed me on their use. “I’m sorry, Coltor. I promise we’ll do everything we can for her.”

I knew she meant it. I gave her a grateful nod, and she leaned in for a quick hug before she made her escape, the tension in her spine familiar as she strode away.

Belmont took flight to chase after her. She was kin, after all, and I could recognize that particular brand of self-loathing-fueled anger anywhere.

It was the kind that got things done. My sisters both looked much the same when similarly motivated.

Father was right, this family didn’t fail, and I was rapidly remembering that our circle included far more than the stone kin I was used to labeling with that word.

A null, an earth witch, a human, and several demons had also joined the clan.

Some very officially, in fact. Euphemia had put my father and Grace, Vassago and Greta, and Rylan and Calla all through the kin welcoming ceremony not so long ago.

I smiled and allowed hope to grow roots.

By the fourth night, I’d become unbearably restless.

Nothing had changed, and I was tired of just sitting around. I’d spent one whole evening trying and failing to produce a vision intentionally. I’d screamed my demands to the sky, insistent that I was owed a glimpse of what might happen from here. The Fates denied each and every request.

I had one last idea for something that might help her, not to mention several things I wanted to say tearing at my chest to get out.

After everyone had gone their own way for the night, and my father was running my patrol, I scooped Merry and her blanket up in my arms and took her to the heart of the old castle, where the sparkling magic felt strongest.

I sat cross-legged with Merry in my lap, right where all the doorways were hidden in the fallen stones. As the warm, pleasant prickle of magic washed over us, I closed my eyes and just breathed with her, the slow pulse of her heartbeat matching mine.

After several minutes, her eyes opened, the deep brown orbs still gazing into the distance instead of at me, but it was something.

“This is King Emankor’s great hall.” I smirked, the notion amusing, considering it looked like nothing more than a few half-buried floor stones and rubble.

“I like it here. Very much.” Merry’s rhythmic blinks gave away nothing, but I knew she was listening.

I needed her to still be herself, and like the mundane narration of our daily activities, this felt like it might help.

“Belmont said something about you being Keeper, which is something I honestly believed to be long gone. Explains the animals, though.” I sighed.

“I hate that everything happening to you right now is out of your control. Or mine. It’s all driven by the Fates, which seems terribly unfair.

What if you don’t even want it?” I focused on the buzz of power along my skin, the chill of the stone underneath me.

“Everything is so strange, Merry. Ophelia is still stone sleeping, and you’re not well.

” I breathed in deeply, her scent and the tang of the magic filling my lungs as I donned my bravery.

“I need you to come back to me, Firebird. It’s not right here without you. I’m not rightwithout you.”

My father’s silhouette crossed above us, his wings out wide as he checked the boundaries of the ruins. A long breath leaked out of me, and I sagged, tightening my arms around her body, pulling her into me. Her head rested against my shoulder, her eyes on the sky.

“I’m a coward, Merry.” I closed my eyes, forehead against hers.

“I should have told you things, but I didn’t know how.

Not even when I was given a perfect opportunity.

That day, when you touched my hand at d’Arcan, I had a vision.

That’s why I visit Ophelia. She’s been helping me navigate this terrible new gift.

I’m pretty hopeless so far at figuring it out.

In that vision…” I swallowed. “I found you by the pools. You were dead.” I choked on my words.

“That’s why I was so scared that day when you were only sleeping. I thought my worst fear had come true.

“But you were okay, and I got too comfortable. I decided maybe I’d just seen a different possible outcome, because I had a vision of Ophelia dead too, and she’s only stone sleeping.” I paused, realizing that Merry’s condition was not terribly different than stone sleep.

“There’s something more, and I shouldn’t tell you all this when you can’t respond to me, but like I said, I’m a coward.

You’re special, Merry. A gift in your own right.

I don’t know if your people have anything similar in their customs, but you are my mate.

I can feel it in my bones.” I spread her hand flat over my heart and covered it with mine.

“This is where the bond lives. And I…” Words failed, because what else could I say that would adequately explain such a thing?

“Between the two things, plus everything else going on in the glade, I was scared. I still am, if I’m being honest, probably always will be.

I know who you’re meant to be to me, what I can be to you, if you choose.

” The stars twinkled above us, a cool breeze moving her curls.

“The choice is yours. If you don’t want this, I will understand, and that will be the end of it.

” My heart cracked at the thought, but I meant every word.

“If you need some time, I would not begrudge you that either, of course. What you need, what you want, matters most, and too much has been required of you without your consent.” I leaned forward and kissed her forehead, the bond flaring hot.

“It’s unfair to tell you all this now. I know that.

But you needed to know. And no matter what your choice is, I will do anything I can to bring you back to yourself. ”

Lighter for having said what I needed to, I shifted us around, using one of the old pillars as a backrest, and settled in. The breeze had kicked up, so I let my wings out, wrapping us up inside them. I didn’t want Merry to be cold.

Power continued to sparkle around us, the faint pulse of the ancient dwelling’s magic a steady beat through my body. I hoped it was doing the same in hers, that somehow, this magic would cure her. I nodded off, or I thought I had, when a vision burst through me, leaving fire in my veins.

She would be fine. She had to be. The Fates had gifted me a look into a future that was too beautiful to exist without her in it.

“Coltor?” The sweetest voice invaded my restless dreams, pulling me back to awareness.

Faint traces of orange predawn streaked the sky. Merry was still tucked into her blanket in my lap, my wings a protective shield around us both. But unlike the past several days, she was looking at me.

My heart stuttered, and without any hesitation, I cupped her face in my palm. “Merry?”

“Hi.”

Joy bounced through me, I squeezed her tighter to my chest, dotting the side of her face with featherlight kisses. “There you are. I’ve been so worried. We all have.” She grimaced through a tight smile, and I tensed. “What do you need?”

“Head hurts. Thirsty.” It seemed to take a lot from her to speak, her voice rusty and slow.

“Of course.” Urgency crashed through me as I scrambled to my feet, holding her body as close to mine as I could as I lifted us off the ground with my wings, gliding us back to her cabin.

Once inside, I settled her in a dining chair instead of the sofa at her insistence, though it was against my better judgment.

I hastily gathered water, tea, a selection of Grace’s food, and broth, putting it all on the table in front of her.

Her coordination was still very poor, so I pulled my chair right up beside hers and helped steady her hand when it trembled under the weight of the glass.

Her brown eyes held my face as I guided the water to her mouth.

“Don’t like this, either,” she managed after several careful sips, tears in her eyes.

“I’m sure it hurts your pride, I know it would mine, but you’re doing fantastically.

Just a few hours ago you couldn’t even open your eyes when you wanted to.

” I fed her a small bite of honey cake with my fingers, trying to ignore the flash of heat that passed through me as her lips grazed my skin.

“Tell me what you need. I’ll get it for you. Anything.”

“Medicine?”

I nearly broke the chair I got up so quickly to fetch the elixir. Once she’d had a good dose, she started to slump.

“Tired?”

She nodded, eyes slowly closing.

“Let’s get you in bed then.”

Stubborn indeed, she insisted on walking instead of having me carry her. She hugged the wall and shuffled into the bathroom first.

Her words were soft as I pulled up the blanket on her bed. “Thank you.”

She was out before her next breath, and I exhaled what felt like the first full breath since I’d found her by the pools.