“No!I’m not bluffing!”I think.
“If this is a trick–”
“It’s not!I do know…” I paused for greater effect.“How about the whereabouts of the zombie king?”
– 8 –
Strawberries & Chocolate Cake
Two minutes later, I was back in the arms of the gargoyle king and being flown to the war room through his palace.He even told me a bit about each room we passed through, pride easy to detect in his tone.This was his home, and what a home it was!
What had looked on the outside like a mid-sized pink castle plucked out of a fairy tale book, was astonishing on the inside.I had expected a mostly plain interior fitting of the façade’s medieval style, and everything to be made of clouds shaped like furniture, but no.Think tables and China Cabinets of solid dark-red wood with intricate carvings, wall-sized paintings and tapestries, and lush, handwoven carpets.The ceilings weren’t plain either; their pink cloudy surface was morphed into various shapes to decorate the corners: animals, human figures, gargoyles carrying the weight of theceiling on their wings…Beautiful.
Everything was adapted to accommodate the physical specifics of Gargoyles.From the chairs being bigger but with smaller backrests, to the ceilings being higher and the rooms having two wide-framed doors one on top of the other.Several gargoyles, dressed in white loincloths and carrying food trays, flew through those upper doors while we were using the standard ones.
The art on the walls was also relevant to the palace residents.Depicted were gargoyles in flight hunting deer, or doing battle in the sky, or having a feast.There was also a painting of a gargoyle posing with a bunch of scantily clad human women.
Welcome to the Renaissance period, gargoyle style.
We reached our destination some six or seven rooms later–this palace was way bigger than it looked from the outside.Another surprise awaited me here, because I had not pictured the war room so… cozy.Sure, the vast canvases adorning the long walls depicted battle scenes, but nothing else in here screamed,let’s plan bloodshed.
The ceiling was as pink as cotton candy, with brighter areas here and there that bathed the windowless room in soft light.Candles were placed on the massive rectangular table in the center of the room.The individual tablecloths matched the blue color of the cushions on the chairs of dark-red wood.
To say that my scientific curiosity was piqued would be an understatement.I was in contact with a culture that probably just a handful of humans knew existed!I itched to touch and explore everything, especially since the warriors hadn’t arrived yet.
Alas, the feast laid out on the table brought me back to reality.I was starving.
The second Xaniban placed me on my feet, I ran to the food.Even if I had eaten today, I would still be unable to tear my eyes from the incredible sight.
“You’ve got real meat!Oh God, strawberries!Holy crap, is that chocolate cake?!”
I reached for the mouth-watering pastry–
I was pulled back by a tail around my waist until my back was pressed against Xaniban’s chest.
I wanted to scream bloody murder.
Xaniban’s lips ghosted over the edge of my ear.“Not yet.My warriors start eating first.”
I groaned, though that tradition sounded honorable.“They’ll never know a single strawberry is missing,” I insisted, eyes glued on the glass bowl overflowing with the big, ripe fruit.
I would eat strawberries even if they were half-rotten.Months of canned food would do that to you.
“Iwill know,” he underscored, his warm breath against my skin tugging at a different kind of hunger deep inside me.“We must show restraint.I can, so can you.”The last words were a whisper, followed by a nip at my earlobe.
I gasped, an electric zing shooting straight to my core.Dammit.How could he piss me off one minute and turn me on the next?
Xaniban walked past me, his tail slipping away, the smile on his face suggesting the restraint he spoke of was not just food-related.He pulled the chair at the head of the table.
“Come, sit.My brethren will be here any second, then no one will go hungry.”
Forget about being turned-on.Tears stung at the back of my eyes as his words brought me back to reality at a dizzying speed.To the world below, where my communitywouldgo hungry.
When Carson and I had left the bunker this morning, another party had gone out in search of food.We were getting low on the military food reserves, and the risk of going outside was unavoidable.I had no way of knowing whether that group had survived the supply run, or whether they had found anything to eat.
Yet here I was, marveling at this magical place and grumbling that I had to wait a few minutes before stuffing myself.Not only that,but amid the mind-blowing events of the last hour, I had forgotten about the meds.The bag was no longer tucked in my belt.It must have fallen off during the flight up here, and I hadn’t even noticed.
I was an utter failure.
