Page 41 of Fated to the Gargoyle
“Don’teven think it,Eloise,”Calixseethed from overhead.
“Stayaway from her!”Dumontwarned.Thesound of more blows followed.
“Iknow what you’re doing,”Calixsaid, his voice far too close now. “Ialready faced your sister.”WhenIturned over my shoulder, he was only a dozen or so feet away, his phoenix face a clear mask of hatred. “AndIwon’t let you do it.”
Mybreath caught in my throat.
“Iwarned you and yet you try to betray me.JustlikeVictoria.Forthat, you will burn.”Heraised a claw and hurled flames the size of a basketball at me.Itappeared to come to me in slow motion, yet so fast thatIwasn’t able to swerve out of its path.
Dumontslammed intoCalix, but it was too late to stop the fiery mass.Itslammed into my gut, andIshrieked.
Thestrangest thing happened.Thescalding painIexpected didn’t come.Instead, the flames slid inside my skin, disappearing within my body.Igaped with disbelief.Thenthe heat seemed to crawl through me, surging in my veins like lava flowing from a volcano.
Whatthe hell was going on?
Dumontflew down and attempted to beat the flames off me with his wings, but they’d all disappeared inside me.
“Eloise!” he cried. “What’shappening to you?”
LikeIhad a clue!Thefiery heat cooled as a chilly, almost icy sensation flowed inside me.
“Idon’t know,”Iadmitted.Searchingwithin,Igrew more attuned to this presence—thisenergy.
Dumontstood with his back toward me, spreading his wings wide in a protective stance as he facedCalix.Thephoenix glared with cold, beady eyes while the battle continued in the sky.Heopened his mouth and unleashed another torrent of fire, not just headed for me, but across the library—as if holding true to his threat to burn it down.
“No!”Istepped to the side aroundDumontand instinctively threw both hands outward.Mybody arched and a radiant energy burst out of my chest.Theair singed with electricity.
Andthen…water.
Streamsof water flowed out from my hands.Asit joined with that pulse of energy, the stream crackled with electricity.Atidal rush propelled forward with such power it knockedCalixbackward.Hetumbled to the ground, howling.
Hethrew another ball of fire toward me.Iblocked it with the strange magical stream flowing from my right hand, and the flames were snuffed out.
“Makeit stop!” he wailed.
Hellno.Hejust tried to burn us and the library to the ground.
Hewrithed on the ground, twisting into the fetal position as shadows slithered out of him, rising with the fire.Theshadows reshaped into skeletal faces and howled before they wafted higher in the sky and vanished.Thewave of energy continued to flow toward the beings still in battle.
“Getto the rooftop!”Dumontcommanded.
Gargoylesbroke away from the demons, flying to the library.
WhateverI’dunleashed from inside me rushed forward like a thunderous beast clearing the campus.ButIdidn’t fear it.Irespected it.Somehow,Irecognized it as magic—magic that had long existed through many generations of my family—whichI’donly just begun to understand.
Thepowerful wave knocked out the demons, sending them hurling across the sky.Oneby one, they were carried outward with the force of this magic that rolled over like churning water, until they all disappeared in the darkness.
Allfell silent aside from our heavy breaths.
Dumontturned to me, his gray eyes wide and unblinking.Heraised a large hand. “Eloise?”
“Yesss?”Isobbed in a strangled voice.
“You’re—okay?”Hesounded bewildered as he scanned me from the head down.
Iglanced down at myself.Noburns from the fire.Unreal.
“Ithink so.”Bringingmy gaze back to him,Iasked, “Andyou?”
