Page 71 of Did It Have To Be Gnomes?!
“Shit!” I released Aeson and rushed to that side, trying to block the little herd with my gate while Miles screamed and thrashed about.
“Get it off me!”
“I’m trying,” Lyric growled. “Hold still so I can get it!”
Lyric kept whacking the gnome with their stick but was mostly hitting Miles’s arm instead. The gnome herd kept pushing me back, so I couldn’t reach Miles from where I was.
Lyric yelled, “Fuck all y’all!” Then threw their stick to the ground and reached for the gnome on Miles with their gloved hand. They peeled it off—and Miles kept freaking out, doing some kind of I’m-grossed-out dance—and Lyric used the gnome like a bowling ball.
They threw it at the herd in front of me, knocking down a good number of them and giving me a chance to push them back.
Lyric shoved Miles into the center of our gates, so I managed to get my gate up to theirs, closing the blockade. Of course, a few of the little fiends had gotten past us, so Miles tried flicking them out and over the gates with his stick—it didn’t work out very well.
“Quit being such a baby,” Lyric said as they grabbed a gnome from inside our circle and tossed it out.
I’d let the mean comment go since, even though the magic was getting to them and they were clearly angry at Miles, they’d still somehow pushed past it and was able to help him when he really needed it. Thank goodness because I hadn’t reached him in time.
“I can’t help it! I hate gnomes!”
“Pretty sure everyone in the entire county knows that after all your screaming,” Aeson said, sounding like he was making fun of Miles—obviously the magic was already getting to him too.
I sighed. We really needed to get out of here so they’d all stop their bickering.
“Win, I can’t… I need… I…” Miles trailed off, and when I looked over my shoulder, he looked like he was ready to burst into tears at any moment, even as he held his stick and the gate he’d picked back up at the ready.
I never should’ve let him come in here. He was terrified.
I opened my mouth—to say what, I had no clue—but Chaos interrupted me, saying, “I’m ready. Let’s get outta here.”
“Oh, thank god.” I reached my hand out to Miles and was pleasantly surprised when he took it without hesitation. I yanked him closer to me so he was pressed against my back. “Stay right there, okay? We’re going to get you out of here.”
Miles tucked his forehead against the back of my neck and grabbed the back of my coveralls with the hand holding his stick, so I felt him nod. Good. He’d be okay if he stayed right there.
This time, we kept Miles in the very middle, and the rest of us formed a circle with our gates. There were a lot more gnomes down here now, but Lyric and I pushed our way through, leading the others to the door.
When we finally made it outside, I sighed in relief and dropped my gate and stick the second Chaos closed the cellar door.
Clucky let out a long whistle that sounded like aphew-weeif I ever heard one.
Instead of letting go of me like I expected, Miles dropped his gate and stick and wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me closer. He was trembling behind me.
Lyric took him in for a brief second before saying, “Come on, guys. Let’s go back to the cars where we’re farther from the curse. We can decide what kind of food we want to order. Miles is buying.”
Miles released one arm to shoot them a thumbs-up, agreeing, before he held onto me again.
As soon as the others moved away, I managed to uncling him long enough to turn in his arms so I could hold him. It took a few minutes to calm down—both of us—and he groaned.
“I can’t believe I freaked out again. I thought I’d be okay this time.”
I had no idea why he thought that, but I kissed the top of his head. “It’s okay.”
“It’s embarrassing. I’m a liability in that basement, and we’re going to have to go inside again.”
“You don’t have to. You can stay out here while Chaos breaks the curse.”
He sighed. “Maybe.”
Yeah, I didn’t see him staying out of it, but I’d try. There was no real reason to put himself through that when there were four other people. But Miles was clearly a stubborn man, at least when it came to his work.
