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

Merry

H ailon bounced from market stall to market stall, asking me my opinion on towels, linens, countertop baskets that were pretty but wouldn’t serve any decent functionality at all.

It was funny to me, because the day I’d arrived in Revalia, she’d dragged me to this very spot so she could pick out some things for herself, and she hadn’t shown half the enthusiasm.

“I don’t have money for any of this,” I laughed. “I’m not sure why we’re even here.”

“I’m trying to find some things for your cabin,” she chided. “Maybe a housewarming gift. But you’re not making it very easy.”

I shook my head and waved away the two different patterns of stoneware plates a merchant offered to me. “It’s not mine though, and I don’t need a gift. If anything, I feel like Coltor needs one. Did you see his face?”

“What about his face?” she prodded.

“He was about to break some teeth he had his jaw clenched so hard.”

“Strong jawline, yes.”

“Stop.” I laughed at my friend’s obvious attempt at playful matchmaking. “He was frowning so much he basically only had one eyebrow.”

“That can be fixed with some grooming though.”

“For the love… Yes, I noticed that he’s handsome . Is that what you’re trying to get at? But I don’t think he likes anyone much, let alone me. I’m a fresh nuisance he has to deal with. He doesn’t seem at all pleased to be getting another neighbor.”

Hailon sighed, hands on her hips and a gentle smile on her mouth. “I think he might surprise you. At least, I hope he will. And that land isn’t actually his, though we do all kind of act that way. He’s just been out there the longest.” She sighed and turned away from the stalls. “Blue or green?”

“What?”

“Blue. Or. Green?”

“Green?”

“White or yellow?”

“What exactly are we talking about?” I laughed, amused by her high spirits if nothing else. I’d nearly never seen her this excitable back in Ravenglen.

“Paint. White or yellow?”

“Yellow, I suppose. But it has to be the right shade.”

“Exactly right. Come on, I have an idea.”

It was quite some time later that we finally made it back to Ophelia’s hut carrying a rolled-up canvas swatched with several different colors of yellow and their complementary greens, along with a bag of odds and ends she’d refused to leave the market without.

Hailon flinched at the edge of Ophelia’s property, but I was not bothered by the warding like she was.

That was a mystery everyone who’d noticed had been trying to figure out since I’d arrived.

The door opened as we approached, the stout old woman smiling wide as she greeted us.

“Your timing is good girls, I’ve just pulled the bread out of the oven. Come in, come in.”

We followed her into her cozy little home, and I excused myself to pack up the last of my meager belongings from the small guest bedroom before joining them in the living room.

Ophelia doled out delicate little teacups, the contents of which were mostly whiskey with the barest splash of tea. The bread was sliced and steaming on a tray alongside little pots of honey and butter.

“I truly have enjoyed our time together, Merry,” Ophelia said, seeing my bags. “I hope you’re not leaving on my account.” She tipped the cup to her lips and finished it in a single go.

“Not at all,” I insisted. “I appreciate your hospitality very much. A cabin near Hailon was recently finished and Coltor offered it to me.” That was an embellishment, for sure, but close enough. “I couldn’t refuse a temptation like that. I’ve never lived on my own.”

“How wonderful to be young and eager for new experiences.” Ophelia chuckled. The moment was interrupted by a sudden and insistent tapping. “Expecting someone?” she asked us earnestly.

“No, not at all,” Hailon answered. “Besides, I’m pretty sure that was coming from the window, not the door.”

With a grunt, the ancient gargoyle got to her feet and crossed to a stained-glass window behind a table covered in an assortment of small items. She’d rearranged the things atop it several times since I’d arrived, adding different crystals, a book, salt.

I hadn’t managed to puzzle out the meaning of it, but I didn’t need to—sorceress work was well beyond my understanding.

Before coming to Revalia, I’d been a simple store clerk and cleaner after all.

Ophelia swung the colorful pane open and stepped back. A small owl with big yellow eyes flapped into view, settling on the sill. “Hello there. Aren’t you charming! Have we met?” Ophelia addressed the creature.

I froze in place as those golden eyes locked onto mine.

Hailon spoke to me, and I stiffened. I could see her lips moving, but could not hear her voice.

My heart pounded painfully in my chest and my breath was stifled to sharp pants.

Ophelia turned as well, all eyes suddenly and heavily resting on me.

Friend ? The voice was quiet, barely more than a muffled whisper in my mind. My whole body flinched. I went hot, then cold as it happened again. Friend , help? Bond?

“Do you hear that?” I asked Hailon, a tremor in my voice.

“Hear what?” she frowned at me.

Ophelia, on the other hand, exclaimed happily.

The bird startled at the sudden rough noise, wings out and clawed feet tapping on the wooden window sill.

“Sorry, sorry.” She patted the bird on the head in apology, then turned back to me, a pleased look on her face. “That explains quite a lot, actually.”

“You can hear it?” I forced the words from my throat, muscles aching from how tightly strung they’d become.

She nodded, fingers gently petting the feathers between the bird’s eyes. “Easy now. Gentle.” The golden orbs closed, shielded by the bird’s inner lids, and I could move again. “You and Calla should have a talk. Have you met her cat?”

“Cat?”

“Or the birds? There are several familiars at d’Arcan now. They all live there quite harmoniously.”

“Familiars?” I knew I sounded foolish, but the single words were all I could manage as I tried to sort out what was happening.

“Whose is that?” Hailon asked, amused by the petite bird.

It turned its head in that decidedly unsettling way owls had, and looked directly at Ophelia.

“Oh, I see. Well. I’ll send a message to the demon in charge of things then, if requests are getting backed up that badly. I’ll take care of it, don’t you worry.”

I had learned plenty since my arrival, but I found myself as lost as I’d felt the first day when Hailon had informed me that her charming man was a demon and her in-laws as well.

Their friends were stone kin—gargoyles—and she was a null, someone who could cancel out magic.

It boggled my mind, but honestly it also made a certain kind of sense.

I’d yet to figure out why any of that actually mattered, however.

They were all lovely, kind people, and she was the same woman I knew from back home.

“Can someone please explain why I can hear the bird speaking to me in my head? And why it felt like I was paralyzed when it looked at me?”

Ophelia patted the bird again, and it flew off. She closed the window and refilled her cup of whiskey tea before taking a seat.

“First things first. What did our charming little friend say to you?” she asked me, reaching for two thick slices of bread and the pot of honey. She handed me one, keeping the other for herself. “Eat that, the sugar will help.”

I did as she instructed, having to chase the thick honey with my tea. If nothing else, at least the whiskey loosened my throat again. “I think it asked for help? Something about a bond?” I finally managed.

Ophelia chuckled as she chewed, head bobbing enthusiastically.

“Yes, yes. Well, isn’t that wonderful! Now they’ll have someone other than me to go to.

The immobilization should get better with some practice.

Seems he was rather eager to get his message across and perhaps was a bit heavy-handed to be sure he could communicate with you.

We can probably find you a trinket or stone to help with that. ”

My mind spun, none of the thoughts coming through in a comprehensive way. “I don’t understand.”

“Familiars, like that little owl, speak mainly to their bonded. They tend to keep it within the family, in a way—mages, witches, fae, and the like. But there are outliers like myself who can communicate with all of them as a kind of…” She waved her hand, searching for the right word.

“Intermediary. A conduit. Seems you’re like me in that way. ”

“How? Why?”

“That’s the mystery, now isn’t it?” She smiled.

“It used to be that the crossroads demon managed all the paperwork and there was a stone kin or witch assigned as Keeper to manage all the creatures topside. They’d offer blessings, hear grievances.

Negotiate population sizes and needs for their area, things like that.

The animals all had an emissary of sorts too, so they could check in periodically, offer their support to the Keeper if needed.

It was a very symbiotic relationship and ensured the health of nature as a whole.

” She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “But there hasn’t been a Keeper in ages, not since…

Well, I’m not even sure, it’s been so long.

” Ophelia pulled at a chin whisker while she pondered, eyes squinted as she sifted through her memories.

“No matter. The absence of a Keeper is likely why the ability to hear them has started cropping up more in individuals like yourself. Spread out the duty, help the balance.”

Ophelia tilted her head, eyes narrowed. “Come sit.” She patted the cushion to her right and set her cup on the low table in front of her. “As far as I can tell, you’re not stone kin. But that doesn’t mean you’re strictly human either.”