Page 144 of Oath of Revenge

A gargoyle sat leaning against a tree, whittling a piece of wood with a knife. He looked up as they approached on the horses. Scarlet tipped her chin at him and leaned on the pommel.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. Her posture remained relaxed, so Bella assumed he was a friend and not foe.

The stone giant lumbered to his feet, putting the knife and carving away in a pocket. “Your Growler wouldn’t rest until Knox promised to send me to help. I’m to escort you to safety.”

Scarlet snorted, and the gargoyle raised a stone brow. “I know, I told Knox it was ridiculous. But your Growler can be as stubborn as you when pressed.”

Scarlet laughed and nodded. Bella knew her father could be very obstinate. She’d argued with him a lot over the years. The man turned his stony gaze on her, and Bella lifted her chin, not looking away.

“You must be the queen. You might not recognize me like this, but I was in the room with Scarlet when the king died and you…” he trailed off, somehow growing paler than the gray stone he’d been before.

Scarlet shifted on the saddle and looked at Bella. “When you killed the Robin by wringing him like a wet towel in the sheets.”

Bella flinched and looked away, stroking the horse’s side. She couldn’t feel it, and her hand could go through the coarse hide if she didn’t concentrate. She pursed her lips and took a deep breath. “I—I’m sorry about that. I was very upset and not myself. Was he—a good man?”

The gargoyle nodded solemnly. “Yes, a bit zealous, but he was a good man.”

Bella’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. She’d said it so much over the past few months, first to the servants, then just in general to the universe, the gods, whoever would listen. Tears stung her eyes, and she wiped at them furiously as she glanced at the canopy overhead. “I assume you turned into a gargoyle because of the curse?”

She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye, and she sighed, her head bowing until her chin nearly touched her chest. “I’m sorry for that too.”

The silence stretched a moment, then Scarlet said, “Well, enough of that. We still need to get to the castle and see how Wulfric’s healed. Bella, this is Ashur. Ashur, Queen Bella.”

The gargoyle bowed, but Bella jerked back in the saddle, her hand raising. “Oh no, please don’t. I don’t deserve that. I deserve to be thrown in the dungeon forever for what I’ve done.”

Ashur shrugged. “I won’t deny that.”

Scarlet snorted. “As someone who’s been thrown into the dungeon before, I will argue against that. She’s a bit emotional, but she’s a decent fighter when she can control her magic.”

Bella’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, her eyes widening at Scarlet’s unexpected defense. She couldn’t believe that the usually cold and distant Hunter had stuck up for her. Despite their rocky start, perhaps traveling together had helped to soften her up. Or perhaps it was because the Hunter was her father’s companion.

“Thank you,” Bella said quietly. “And for what it’s worth, Gastone never should’ve throne you or any of the others into the dungeon. I didn’t know about the arrests until after his death.”

Scarlet waved a hand and nodded. “See? I told you she wasn’t too bad. Like we haven’t all made mistakes before? Besides, it’ll be harder for her to find a cure from the dungeon, I imagine.”

Bella wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince, the gargoyle or herself. Either way, she hoped to avoid the dungeon and wasn’t sure that her father would be able to keep her out of it.

Ashur shrugged again and turned toward the trees, his voice easily carrying. “So I’ve been told.” He paused and looked over his shoulder, catching Bella unaware and trapping her in his gaze.

“For what it’s worth, Will was determined to kill the king. We all weren’t so sure that would solve the problem, but he was like a man possessed about it. I don’t blame you for his death. We all knew that it was a suicide mission.”

Then he led the way through the trees. Scarlet nudged Bella to follow him, and her mind wandered to the man she’d killed. She still saw his face, that whole room and the events there, every night when she tried to sleep. It was why she’d realized she didn’t need to sleep at all in this form.

The saddle vibrated, making the horse prance and throw its head side to side. Blast, her memories and emotions were like a tidal wave in her gut. She tried to take deep, even breaths and control her magic. Perhaps if she thought of something else. In her mind’s eye, she saw the silver dragon stumbling into the cave once more, and the saddlebags settled.

A screech drew her gaze, and she jerked on the horse. She had animated the saddle so she could actually stay on the thing, but she still almost fell off at that sound.

“What was that?” she asked, fear making .

Scarlet and Ashur said, “Eagles.” They both glanced up, scanning the area.

Ashur’s wings flared, his eyes not leaving the canopy above. “When we get within sight, I’ll distract them while you make a run for it.”

“What about you?” Bella asked. A large shadow fell on them, and Bella looked up. Her eyes widened at the size. When they’d said eagles, she wasn’t thinking the size of a horse.

“I’m made of stone. Their claws can’t hurt me, and I’m too heavy for them to lift.”

The fierce cries of the giant eagles pierce through the air, a combination of screeches and roars that sound like thunder clashing with lightning. Scarlet swore and grabbed the reins in her hand, kicking her horse into a faster pace and dragging Bella’s mount with her. Bella’s heart leapt as she looked at her rose bumping in the saddle bag. A petal floated free and her heart dropped with it. Ashur might be made of stone, and she might be incorporeal, but the rose wasn’t. Neither was Scarlet.

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