Page 18 of The Gargoyle's Glade
Annoyance returned to my friend’s face. “Can you imagine what it must be like to have them follow you around like they’ve taken to doing with Merry?”
Surely whatever was happening would also explain the squirrel. “I’m not imagining things?”
“No, you’re not. She’s collecting creatures. Not intentionally, mind. We’re… working it out.”
“Working what out, exactly?”
“You’ll have to ask her yourself.” She raised an eyebrow, knowing that was a challenge at the moment. “Tap may come through later on. Just so you know. Seir is trying to arrange a meeting for the two of them. We’re not sure if it will be here or there.”
“Alright.” I fidgeted. I couldn’t decide whether the idea of another demon—no matter how friendly—coming into the ruins bothered me, or if it was the fact that he’d be doing it because he wanted to talk to Merrythat rankled.
Hailon crossed her arms, disappointment and sympathy on her face. “Coltor, I don’t understand. I thought you didn’t mind Merry coming here?—”
“I don’t. It’s not that. It’s not her.”
“Then why did you say those things?”
I scrubbed my hand over my face, then tried to do the same with the ache that had returned to my ribs. In the end, I was a coward and gave the simplest explanation, but not one that included my messy feelings about Merry. “The noise,” I said. “There’s so much lately. I just… it’s like daggers inside my skull.”
“Well, I’m sorry about that, truly, but it’s no excuse for your behavior.”
“I know. Please tell her?—”
“You can apologize to her yourself. And you should, she deserves aproperapology. But not now.”
“Of course. I am sorry, Hailon.”
Her shoulders sagged. “I believe you. I’m sure this is a lot to deal with.”
Hailon pulled me into a quick hug, carefully avoiding the sharp tool I still held in my hand. She then turned toward hercabin, throwing me one more warning over her shoulder with her eyes.
Once she’d gone through the door, I dropped my chin to my chest as I took several slow breaths. I hated the way I felt when I had outbursts like that. And I hated the way I made others feel when I lashed out infinitely more.
After a moment, I went back toward where Neill had resumed work on the cabins. I tossed the tool onto the ground near several others. “Can I be of any help?”
Neill smiled and clapped me on the back, and I joined in the group that was moving planks and other supplies from near the portal to the site. The joyful attitude of the crew, and the way they immediately accepted and appreciated my efforts smoothed a bit of the edge to the racket they created while they worked. Walking along the paths, using my muscles in a way I didn’t normally and having a simple job to accomplish helped clear my head. Guilt had its claws in me something fierce for what I’d said and done. I could make it right, though. I would.
As we set the last stack of planks down, I turned and could only watch in horror as my earlier vision played out right in front of my eyes.
I shouted, hand raised as I sprinted back toward the cabin, but it was too late. The stack of large roof tiles someone had piled up while our backs were turned cascaded from the peak down the slope, catching one of the men right in the shins. He was agile and propelled himself away from the heavy stone tiles, but it was not enough. Everything happened too quickly for him to truly deploy his wings, and even his shift was barely half-managed before he hit the ground. In what seemed like no more than a few breaths, he’d gone from working peacefully to having fallen off the roof. As I approached, I knew what I would see but wished not to. I sucked in a breath, finding one of the offending tiles broken and punched through his body, right in the softplace below his collarbone near his shoulder. He wheezed, blood seeping both from the wound and from between his lips as he moaned a curse.
“Infirmary at the conclave. Now,” I ordered, and the four men standing closest, all of whom had momentarily been frozen in surprise, carefully collected the injured man between them. We all made for the portal as quickly as we could, paths be damned.
The stone kin settlement no longer felt like home to me, but I knew if anyone could help the unfortunate builder, my sister could.
Chapter 9
Coltor
Irang the bell to summon Lovette to the infirmary as the men deposited the injured man on one of the cots. There were empty beds made up with clean linen all down each side of the room, and the smell of antiseptic clung to the air.
“Go on back and finish up. I’ll stay,” I offered, and they all filed back out seconds before my sister barreled through the door, not even glancing my way as she collected supplies and rinsed her hands in something that smelled like the rot gut alcohol we’d snuck into the barracks during training.
“I rarely get a ring this time of day. Lucky I was in, normally I’d be—” Her mouth dropped open as she finally looked up. “Coltor? What a lovely surprise!” She strode over, arms wide. I couldn’t help but return the bright smile she offered when she saw me, but then she noticed the patient. Her arms dropped before she had a chance to hug me, diverting her course to the side of the cot. “Oh, dear. Emry, right? What’s happened to you, then?”
The man could only wheeze, so I answered for him. “He fell off a roof.”
“I see. Let me just have a peek, okay?”
