The groups above and below went at an angle this time, all of them uniform, except for the few people of Gerard’s that were slow to catch on. They picked off the last of the strong Guardians and split in half, twice as many groups in the sky now. They started going for the smaller, weaker gargoyles in larger numbers, turning the sky into a washing machine of perfect synergy.
I hadn’t seen the battle at Gimerel, and in trainings, I was always doing something. For a moment, I hovered in complete wonder. Good lord, Tristan had created something sensational. Our people pulled it off perfectly.
Below, the shifters and basajaunak showed that they had organization as well, running through the city in their own groups, growling and snarling and making sure they were seen. It wouldn’t be a good look to randomly attack the onlookers, though the basajaunak did grab up a few people and carry them around by their ankles.
Back at the battle, I dazzled someone with light, distracting him before I rammed into his side. I scratched and clawed and peppered him with spells, as well, just to share the wealth. The lead enforcer would have someone to commiserate with.
Two enemy gargoyles came to help their guy. I turned to hit them with a spell, but Tristan came out of nowhere, barreling into the side of one, his weight and velocity continuing to the second. Jasper grabbed me, and Ulric took my place before two more gargoyles flew in to help Tristan.
Cyra squawked as she zipped by in a colorful plume of fire, hard on the trail of a wide-eyed gargoyle. Lightning struck another gargoyle in the back to the far left. The gargoyle froze, folded his wings, and fell.
Sebastian’s ride flew him in, and the weird mage easily caught the plummeting gargoyle in a magical net before blasting another gargoyle to his right. Apparently, he hadn’t gotten the note to simply keep people from dying, rather than helping take them down. Oh, well.
In less than an hour, it was over. We hadn’t taken them all down, probably only about three-quarters, but the rest fled. With howls and yelps and every ounce of speed they clearly possessed, they took off for the city or the mountains.
I checked in with our people, healing those who’d gotten sliced up. Most only had scratches and bruises. Tristan’s strategy had kept our people from the worst this cairn had to offer, despite some of the flying muscle they had. I then offered the connection to their people, because in the end, we did needthem. We wanted them in the convocation, and the only way they could really experience being led by a female gargoyle was if they felt the differences I offered.
Tristan hovered in the air, beating his wings in victory. Gargoyles roared, many humming their wings along with him. Hollace let off waves of thunder, and Cyra turned and sent a stream of fire straight at me.
“Dang it, Cyra.” I met the fire with water. It was easy because she wasn’t putting much power behind her magic, and then I sent a blast of wind to knock her off-course. She went tumbling in a ball of flame, complete theatrics because I hadn’t put that much power into my return fire. She was helping me show off.
I looked for Tristan because I didn’t know what happened now. After training, we usually returned to base, me doing the equivalent of a new gym- goer limping out after their first session. That wouldn’t look great here, though. I’d ruin the image.
He swooped down for me, and I turned to make it easy. His giant clawed hands grabbed me around the waist, and I tucked in my wings. He brought me in and banked before heading higher into the sky.
“Nowww,” he said. “We tray-nn.”
Two hours later,yes, I did the flying equivalent of limping out of the gym. Tristan hadn’t gone any easier on us here than he usually did at Ivy House. Maybe less so.
I landed on two feet and sank to my butt. I always worked on my flying stamina, but this time I’d pushed past my limits. I hadn’t wanted to look so pitiful in front of Evan’s cairn, but…well, here we were.
I turned to lie down on my face so my wings could stretch out.
My connections told me that Tristan had landed near me. My bonds told me Austin had come over and some of the shifters and gargoyles besides. I couldn’t see any of this with grass obscuring my vision.
“Incredible,” Evan said, and I heard skin slapping skin. High-five, forceful handshake—who knew? “I’ve never seen a cairn with that level of flying. Most of your Guardians are smaller in stature, slower in flight—didn’t matter. You ruled the sky.”
“It’s not that it didn’t matter,” Tristan replied. “It’s that working together in this way creates a stronger force. Add in more muscle and speed, and you get better results. The beauty of this structure is that, if we all practice it, we can easily integrate other cairns when we need to.”
“And how does it relate to those…on…the…” Evan trailed away.
“Boys,boys!Austin, Tristan, I am surprised at you!” Patty’s quick footsteps came my way. “Indigo, come here, dear. Jessie needs healing. No, no, leave that gargoyle as he is. If he can’t go on with a couple scrapes, can he really call himself a Guardian?”
“His entrails almost fell out from a spell gone wrong,” Indigo bleated.
Patty was not having it. “But they didn’t, did they? No. Leave him there. Come here, you need to heal Jessie.”
“I’m okay,” I said, not bothering to lift my head. “I can heal myself in no time at all.”
“Jessie is the most important asset we have in the sky,” she went on as if I hadn’t said anything. “I will not let her lay in the grass like discarded luggage while the boys talk amongst themselves. She is a leader. She should be treated like one!”
“It’s fine, really,” I said as I felt Indigo’s hand brush a wing. Ah. I’d forgotten I didn’t have a mouth that could easily form words.
Indigo’s healing energy soaked into me. “Jessie,” she said, and then tsked. “Jessie, you pushed way too hard. I told you not to overextend like this in training, remember? Tomorrow, you’ll have to spend all day healing yourself because you’ll be so sore.”
Very likely.
“I apologize,” Evan mumbled.
