“The crow was only shielded in front. He didn’t think you’d have friends.” She positions herself on my undamaged side to help me stand.
I’m in danger of going into shock. Only the warmth of the coat keeps me in the present as I force my legs to move. “You’d think with all ofthis…” I wave my hand at the stones. “I’d have figured out basic things like how to keep myself warm.”
Her response is blunt and forthright. “You’re drawing power from the wrong stone.”
“I’m sorry?”
She points as we leave the clearing. “You probably can’t see because they’re above your head, but you only ever draw power from Incorruptible’s heart. Since you got here, I’ve only seen Virtuous shine once after your fight with Indira. The moon is icy, so using Incorruptible’s power will only make you colder.”
“So… which one will make me warm?”
A secretive smile breaks across her face. She keeps one eye on the steep path and the other on me. “Prime’s of course. He was Incorruptible’s opposite: fiery, passionate. Some gargoyles think they were lovers.”
I ignore that statement. I know for a fact that they weren’t but their hearts belonged together. “What about Lightsworn?”
“Conceited. Totally full of himself. But he was an amazing warrior. If you draw on his power during battle you will fight better.”
“Better, huh?”
She ignores my sarcasm. “Then there’s Virtuous who was some sort of healer. Her heart is complicated: sad, lonely. You shouldn’t draw on it too often or you’ll screw up your emotions.”
Well, good thing I’ve got Virtuous pressed right up against my heart right now then. I sigh, but it’s worth the risk that my emotions will go haywire because I need Virtuous close while my shoulder is still healing. And I need to figure out how it got knocked away from me. “How do you know all of this?”
She scoffs. “Because I grew up with it. It’s the first thing Grievous children learn: the power of the heartstones. Where do you think Howl got his obsession?”
“Which one of the heartstones will give me the power to fly?”
She shakes her head. “Sorry. That would be Hideaway’s heart because of his powerful wings, but nobody found that heartstone and besides… gargoyles don’t need the power to fly.”
“I guess not.” I’m disappointed. I thought I’d at least be able to try. We walk in silence for a long time, finally passing Indira’s home, but the girl doesn’t stop there.
“Where are we going?”
She points along the street but all of the buildings around us are shuttered and closed. “You’re coming with me to see Gretel. She sent me to find you. She can tell you everything you need to know about the heartstones, including how to use them properly.”
“I take it she told Howl everything too.”
She shrugs. “Not by choice, but that was the way with Howl. I didn’t really know him mind you. Before my time and all.”
She’s so young, maybe only fourteen years old, but she seems like an old soul. “I don’t know your name.”
“I’m Bethany.”
A little while later, we reach a house on the outskirts of the village. Like Indira’s home, this one also sits on the precipice of a cliff. A small balcony has been built into the roof and a sentry sits huddled under a fur coat topped with a shadow panther skin: an excellent disguise to make it look like the girl huddled under it is a much larger male.
Bethany waves to her before pushing through the front door. Welcome heat rushes to greet us and I sigh with relief. Like many times before, I only realize I’ve been drawing on Incorruptible’s power when I don’t need it anymore. The cold evaporates along with the tension in my body.
The room is sparsely furnished with a table and chairs, a small kitchen off to the right, and a stone fireplace on the left. An old female sits hunched under a layer of furs on a wooden chair beside the fire. Her silver hair is tied back in a loose bun at the nape of her neck. She immediately shifts and acknowledges me with a hoarse whisper. “Supreme Incorruptible.”
One of her eyes is glazed and white. The other is a delicate blue. I miss a step before I realize how rude it is to stare.
She points at her glazed eye. “Howl.”
Of course. He may be dead, but the deeper I dig, the further his cruelty extends.
Bethany pulls a chair from the table, positioning it beside Gretel, gesturing for me to sit. Then she sets about putting a kettle on the stove and gathering teacups.
Gretel’s gaze slides from my face up to the stones. Her bony finger twitches as she counts them. “Incorruptible, Prime, Lightsworn. But where is Virtuous?”
