Thwock!
The body around Wycke shuddered. Green gore sprayed over him. The gargoyle screeched, plunging earthward, a giant arrow protruding from its breast.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Magical Realm
Piers raced to the balcony ledge, skidding to a stop barely in time to keep from flipping over. Who put the ground so far away? Three floors, at least. With pavers of some kind beneath them. He whirled toward Saris. “Is there a way down?”
“Jump,” she said, rushing to the railing.
He eyed the stone patio beneath them. “Are you crazy?”
Jess stared him down, hands on her hips. “Are you a powerful sorcerer or not? Now sorcer. Or sorcel. Or whatever.” She waved a hand in the air. “But I am not, I repeat, amnotjumping off this balcony!”
“Aaaaaahhh!”Crash! Clang!came through the open doors, along with the squeals of one pissed-off pig.
“They’re hurting my brother!” Saris shouted, brandishing her stolen sword.
Keeping well away from the balcony railing, Jess grabbed Saris before she marched back into her room to give someone a piece of her mind. Not only did Piers have to save them, but he also had to save them without Jess needing to look down from on high.
Piers listened to the screams and crashes from the room beyond them. Wycke! The bond, the indefinable something between them, or simple common decency pleaded with him to go back.
The screams weren’t Wycke’s, but the man needed to get his ass out of there.
“Let’s go!” Jess cried, boxing Piers’ shoulder.
Though she cast a backward glance in the direction of her brother, Saris dropped the sword. “It will only weigh me down.”
Piers lacked control over his magic, but one thing he might accomplish? Wishing. He wished the three of them to the ground.
Jess and Saris landed softly on their feet.
“Ahhh!” Piers smacked into a hedge. Ow. That would leave a mark. He crawled out of his vegetation prison, picking bits of leaves from his hair. Getting the last word in, a branch promptly smacked him in the face.
Jess grabbed his arm, hauling him upright. “Well done, dude, but we don’t have time to play. Now, let’s go!”
Play?
“This way.” Lifting her skirts, Saris sprinted down a garden path. Gardeners darted out of the way.
Piers spat out a leaf and grabbed Jess’s arm, charging after the only person around with any idea where to go. Or, he hoped Saris knew where to go.
They barreled through a riot of pink, blue, red, and yellow buds, surrounded by green foliage of various shades. The scent shifted from one sweet smell to another, with a twang of herbs mixed in. Thorns caught on Piers’ clothes.
A shout came from behind. “There they are! After them! By order of the king, they are to be taken alive and not harmed.”
Oh, fuck! “Which king?” Piers retorted.
“I trust neither king right now,” Saris panted out.
Was it too much to ask that the owner of the commanding voice meant someone else hauling ass through the garden?
Saris hurdled a shrub like a champ, shrugging out of her cloak, Piers and Jess parting to skirt opposite sides. His breath came in ragged gasps. If he survived, he’d join a gym or take up running, especially if evading capture became a daily event.
Or he’d avoid situations calling for a fast escape.
Heavy footfalls sounded behind him. Just his luck, his pursuers probably ran ten miles per day. He wished for the guards to trip or for him, Saris, and Jess to suddenly be back in his apartment. Or for a friendly dragon with a hankering for guards to wander by for a snack.
