Appearing out of nowhere, Florian rushed towards the young men, his face red with anger. He thrust himself between them and the fountain. From my position, I could only see the back of his head. He leaned on his cane, breathing hard.
His sudden appearance confused the men. Ben lowered his hand. "What?"
"Relax, it's just a statue," Coin-Man said, raising a brow.
"So?" Florian gasped for breath. "That doesn't mean you should throw rocks at it!"
The men exchanged a glance before Coin-Man tried to explain.
"Look, kid. We're trying to knock its eye out. See? I'm pretty sure those are real sapphires. They're worth a lot of money."
Florian bristled. "I'm not a child. And I don't care why you're doing it. You should stop."
My heart swelled. Florian's heart was too pure. He refused to let even a statue be hurt. I wished desperately that I could speak, to let him know it wasmeinside this gargoyle's stone flesh.
But then I thought better of it. Admitting the truth would terrify him, and rightly so. If I wanted to keep spending time with Florian, I had to hide my hideous gargoyle face. He could not know about my curse.
Ben scoffed. "Why? No offense, but you look like you could use the money."
Seeing an opportunity, Coin-Man grinned. He put a hand on Florian's shoulder. That infuriated me for reasons I did not understand.
"Listen. How about we make a deal? You keep your mouth shut before you alert every guard in the courtyard, and we'll give you a cut of the money." Coin-Man pinched Florian's shirt. "You can use it to buy better clothes."
My heart dropped. Would Florian accept the offer? I could not fault him for agreeing. From what I knew, Florian was struggling and money would be a blessing. When I thought about it that way, Iwantedhim to accept. I did not care if it was at my expense. I would do anything to know that Florian was safe and happy. This was the only thing I had to offer.
Accept,I begged silently.
"No."
Ben sputtered. "What?"
Florian raised his voice. "Go away before I tell the guards what you've been doing!"
Coin-Man shook his head. "This kid's an idiot, let's get out of here..."
The two shoved their hands in their pockets, putting on an air of innocence, and slinked away.
Florian's whole body trembled. He gasped as he collapsed on the edge of the fountain. He hissed through his teeth as he regained his breath. My heart ached. It sounded like he was in pain.
Why? Why did he push himself so hard? I knew the effort it took him to reach the courtyard in the first place. He should not have burdened himself by saving a gargoyle of all things.
But my real frustration was not with Florian, or even the young men. I was frustrated with myself. I longed to be free of these stone shackles. If I took my human form right this very moment, I would be at Florian's side, helping him. He could lean on me. I would do anything he asked.
Frustration and despair clawed at me. The sun was barely approaching the horizon. It would be hours before it fully set. But I wanted to be humannow.It was torture that Florian was right there in front of me and I was helpless.
I knew he would not wait. Of course I remembered our promise. But Florian's promise was to Devereaux the man, not Devereaux the gargoyle. Nobody could fault Florian for leaving when the man he promised to meet did not show up.
After twenty minutes, Florian finally raised his head and looked around. His face looked weary but hopeful.
Was he looking for me? The idea excited me, filling me with a giddy, childish feeling. Nobody had ever sought me out before. But my eagerness was dampened when I realized I had no way of communicating with him, no way of telling him I was right there. Our promise was mutual—I had practically begged for Florian to return, but in my excitement, I forgot to mention the caveat that I would only exist in the form he knew after sunset. How could I have been so stupid?
With the sun still in the sky, all I could do was watch Florian. I kept waiting for the moment he lost patience and left. But he continued to sit there on the edge of the fountain, his posture relaxed and easy. He had nothing to entertain himself with—no book, no paper or pen, no companion to speak with. It was odd. He seemed content simply sitting there. Florian was truly a special person.
Tension balled in my chest as time dragged on. Surely Florian would not wait forever? He must have things to do, places to be. Every time he shifted in his seat, I thoughtthis is it.He is finally going to stand up and walk away. And every time, I was proven wrong. Florian remained.
To say I was baffled was an understatement. Florian's behavior made no sense. He should have been long gone. Unless he simply enjoyed the atmosphere of the courtyard. That was a possibility, too. In that case, I felt ashamed for being arrogant. Of course there were other reasons why Florian would stay besides meeting me.
Florian let out a soft yawn, drawing my attention. He gently shifted to sit on the ground and leaned his back against the fountain. A few moments later his shoulders fell into a smooth, steady rhythm.
