Page 23 of Claimed By Night

“We run the risk of being forced into our gargoyle forms and remaining that way.”

Cambion start to laugh. “Variant certainly thought of every possible angle, didn’t he?”

Dragan don’t look entertained. “And what happens to you if you leave your realm?”

“I don’t know.” Cambion shrug.

“What do you mean?” Dragan insist, but then he like figure it out. “You’ve never attempted to leave the Fae Realm?”

Cambion shrug again. “Why leave? I have everything I need here.”

“You’re kidding.”

Cambion shake his head. “Why voyage off into another realm I have little interest in so I can simply be forced into the body of a rodent or something equally disagreeable?”

“Unbelievable,” Dragan answer. “You’ve completely accepted your servitude.”

“I certainly have not, for I don’t serve Variant. I serve no one but myself. And Geldingstock, which has taken me the last hundred years to build,” he continue an’ then motion to the fae village surroundin’ him. The owl jist blinks.

Dragan glance ‘round but don’t seem impressed. ‘Course he don’t seem impressed ‘bout anythin’, so that ain’t much o’ a surprise.

Cambion turn on his heel an’ start walkin’ for the center o’ his village. The three o’ us follow him, ‘cause it ain’t like we got many other options.

“Sprite,” Cambion say without botherin’ ta turn ‘round an’ look back at me. I’m surprised he’s picked me out an’ I glance over at Dragan who nods at me, probly ta let me know it’s okay for me to talk.

I flutter up to him ‘til we’re both side by side. “That’s me,” I say.

“Your name?”

“Flumph.”

“What are you doing, traveling with such bizarre cohorts?”

“Well, it be kinda a long story.”

“I enjoy long stories,” Cambion nearly interrupt an’ then look at me with a real stern expression. “As long as they’re not corrupted with lies.”

“I ain’t no liar, mister,” I start an’ furrow my eyebrows into a real cross expression.

“Very good. Then we shall be the best of friends,” Cambion respond an’ then lead us down a dead-end road, an’ we takes a turn onto a smaller path that lead in between flowers almost as tall as him.

“Now, back to the question of how you came to be with this motley crew?” Cambion remind me.

“Well, I was workin’ for Anona in Precinct Five,” I say, an’ I notice Cambion frownin’ which means he either know Anona personally or he heard tell o’ jist how horrible she can be. “An’ this girl come screamin’ down the road an’ yellin’ at the guards to let her in ‘cause somethin’s chasin’ her.”

“Sounds quite frightening.”

“Righty-oh. Anyhows, the guards let her in only ‘cause she be an angel. An’ Anona get super excited ‘bout her bein’ an angel ‘cause she know she gonna make all sorts o’ money on the girl. ‘specially ‘cause the girl be real pretty. Soze Anona take her to the tavern an’ find out she goin’ throughAtacomitewithdrawals.”

“You were correct, this is quite a long story.”

“You asked for it,” I says an’ shrug.

“Quite right. Continue.”

“Soze, once Anona realize how the girl’s goin’ through withdrawals, she give her a megadose o’Atacomitesoze the girl can’t even talk, an’ she put me in charge of givin’ her a bath.”

“Lucky fellow,” Cambion interjects as we take another turn ‘round a huge, gnarled tree an’ face the biggest o’ the wood huts. It’s like a three-story one an’ there ain’t no moss on its roof. An’ the garden in front o’ this one puts all the others to shame.

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