In the distance, Laurent could make out the mountain peaks surrounding the Obsidian Palace, massive points that shot through the horizon, spearing into the twilight clouds. They were alone for miles in every direction under the night sky. A few stars had begun to illuminate their field of vision, a far cry from the pitch black of the Pyritee Pass.
“You destroyed the throne,” Merrick directed at Esmeray, his bitter tone accusatory. “You blew the throne of the Obsidian Kingdom to bits.Thatis considered treason in itself.”
“Andfardown my list of crimes,” Esmeray spat back, rolling her slim shoulders as her wings flared. “I hated that throne.” Esmeray sneered at Merrick, the budding comradery between gargoyles already crumbling. Esmeray was half fae, but Laurent mused there may be some jockeying for position between the two, even though the stubbornness gargoyles seemed to inherit was outright preposterous given their current situation. “The true throne of the Obsidian Palace was created for mymother, Queen Absolute Elera, crafted out of a piece of the mountain’s summit, accommodating to my mother’s gargoyle heritage. The throneIdestroyed was too narrowexplicitly somywings would not fit. It was a symbol of my uncle’s reign that I was happy to destroy.”
Laurent stepped between the two, hands raised to bring the tension back down. “Where are we?” he asked calmly, prompting Esmeray to huff.
“It’s a strain on my magic to wane you all so far. We’ll need to wait for my magic to replenish and then we can go the rest of the way.” Esmeray looked out to the horizon, and Laurent wondered where her mind went when her eyes became pin-pricked with tears for a moment. Lenna stood silently at his side, still clutching the Prism tightly to her chest as she, too, stared out into the distance, a soft presence opposed to Merrick’s brooding.
The silence stretched, becoming thick with the weight of the treason they’d just openly declared against Queen Adara. The temperature grew colder, matching the chill in Laurent’s bones that even his own fire couldn’t heat away. Finally, Esmeray shook her head, blinking away from the dark landscape to glance over to them.
“Let’s go,” she muttered. Laurent raised his eyebrows as Lenna moved from her spot, firmly grasping Esmeray’s hand. Esmeray’s guarded demeanor seemed to melt as she offered a tentative smile to the Oracle. Merrick gripped Lenna’s other hand, averting his eyes altogether from the Queen. Laurent gritted his teeth as he took Esmeray’s other hand and prayed that Merrick would keep his shit together long enough for them to get the answers they needed.
Chapter twenty-six
Merrick
Merrickglancedaroundasthey landed on a red-bricked walkway, the roaring in his ears dimmed from the travel. Taking in his surroundings, he could not for the life of him figure out the city in which they now resided. Chalking it up to the disorienting trip, he grumbled a curse under his breath. He hated waning–flying was his preferred method of getting around, but even Laurent’s portals were less brutal than these jumps through space.
Lenna and Laurent released Esmeray the moment their feet touched down. The Oracle was doubled over, heaving as if she might throw up. Laurent halfheartedly patted her back before sliding a few feet away. Merrick knew it was to make sure no puke splattered his new robe.
“You get used to it–the waning.” Esmeray looked apologetic as she tilted her horned head down to kick a piece of mulch off the bricks and back into its bed. “The first few times I waned, I almost passed out I was so nauseous.”
“Goody,” Lenna grumbled flatly, finally straightening to take in the sights, her hands on her hips and a worn, pinched, expression on her face.
They were in the middle of a circular courtyard, ringed with a low iron fence partially covered with vines that shot out orange and yellow fireflowers, vibrant plants that absorbed the sun’s rays during the day, making them glow brightly at night.
A smattering of bird baths and feeders chaotically stuck out between dense bushes. In the center, a granite fountain of a dragon wrapped around a rose dribbled a faint stream of water from the beast’s outstretched mouth to a filigreed basin. A path led from the fountain to a three-story yellow house with a pink front door. Stained glass windows adorned the cozy looking home, all portraying the theme of various birds and plants.
Lenna whispered a softwoah. Around them, more colorful houses lined the street. Some inhabitants were outside, working in their respective gardens, and a few gargoyles lay on various flat perches of their own homes, lounging in the moonlight.
Across the street, a gargoyle sprawled out on his second story roof cracked an eye open and waved to Esmeray, who gave the male a smile as she returned the gesture.
“See?” she bit out, the venom directed at Merrick, “Not everyone hates me.”
“You live…here?” Merrick asked the Queen skeptically. It wasn’t what he expected. This was aneighborhoodfor gods’ sake.
With neighbors who weren’t screaming and running away as she appeared.
“Not by myself,” she answered cryptically as she turned on her heel from the garden and hopped up the front steps, black wings flaring out behind her.
She barely crossed the last step as the door swung open and a shrillscreech filled the courtyard.
Merrick sucked in a breath at the fae that appeared in the doorway. She was the most beautiful female he ever lay eyes on. Golden blonde hair tumbled down past her shoulders, some locks swept into thin braids with pink flowers delicately placed between the strands. Her skin was the color of spring, a light tan that made her hair shine. Brilliant aquamarine eyes sparkled as she beheld Esmeray, and the slender cheekbones in her face only made her look more ethereal. The female’s left arm looked as if it had been delicately dipped in black paint, the tattoo starting at the tips of her fingers and traveling up to her elbow before ebbing away, revealing more of that luscious, tanned skin on her upper arm.
The female threw her arms around Esmeray, who, to Merrick’s chagrin, fiercely hugged the fae right back.
Merrick dumbly opened his mouth to introduce himself, as if he would just shout his name at her, when Laurent effortlessly slid past him and took the first two steps up to the front door. As he got to the top, he bowed deep to the female and asked for her name.
Merrick rolled his eyes.
Great. They were going to fight over this one.
He could already tell.
“Sparrow,” the fae said a bit breathlessly, a faint flush creeping up her face. “My name is Sparrow.”
The name clanged through Merrick, the most enchanting name he’d ever heard. Gods, he was in trouble.
