Page 21 of The Gargoyle's Captive

It seems foolhardy to me to risk life and limb in order to protect yourself from risking life and limb, but any faith I had died with my family.

Grace slips her hand into mine and allows me to lift her into my arms. She feels good there. If I didn’t know better, I might believe she was built to occupy the space. Idoknow better, though. She might be indulging me now, but this is still the same woman who lied to me and then ran from me. She didn’t talk to me about what she wanted or needed. She treated me like an obstacle to overcome.

Just like my people do.

I launch us into the air, flying far too quickly, as if I can outrace my dark thoughts. It’s never worked before. It doesn’t work now. And yet, they don’t cling quite as harshly as they normally do. Strange, that.

We make good time to the keep, and I touch down softly in the courtyard just as the sun reaches its peak in the sky. Part of me wants to keep Grace in my arms, to use the excuse of her potential shakiness to do so, but she’s much sturdier than she was last time. “You didn’t scream.”

“What?”

Why the fuck did I just say that? That’s not a normal thing to say. Then again, this is not a normal woman.I set her carefully on her feet and keep my hands out in case her legs buckle. Of course they don’t. Which means I have no excuse to avoid answering her question. I look away and fight not to hunch my shoulders. “The first time we flew. You were scared. But you didn’t scream. You didn’t scream with the spiders, either.”

“Oh.” She absently combs her fingers through her windswept hair. “It’s training. One of the first things I learned as a kid was to not make a noise when I’m scared. Silence is a prey instinct that humans don’t have for some reason. Too often we scream and bring the predator right to us. My family was invested in ensuring that I didn’t get myself or anyone else killed.”

Because they save people. I don’t know if that’s the full explanation for her knowledge and instincts. Saving people sounds like a virtuous activity. I can’t imagine how one trains a child not to make a sound when they’re afraid. I glance at her face, but her expression and her energy invite no further questions on the subject.

That’s okay. I may not be good at dodging the dark things that plague my steps, but I can try. Right now. For her.

I turn to the keep. It appears much the same as it did the last time I was here a few weeks ago. Weathered gray stone that looks downright immortal, the building carved right into the side of the mountain. The only true sign of decay is the tower that has crumbled to nothing, beaten down by the winds that howl through this ravine.

Grace whistles softly. “I can see why this place is a test of bravery. It’s creepy as shit.”

“There are no ghosts here.” At least not ones she would recognize. I’m young for my people, barely forty, so I was born well after we descended from the heights and built the castle that I live in now. My father used to talk about this place fondly when I was younger, some of the few times he seemed like someone I could understand. I can’t see it the way he saw it. Supposedly this is a happy place. But when war came, it was too isolated to properly defend. It might have been okay if our main opponents in that conflict were the dragons or the kraken, but the succubi and incubi can fly. It only took one devastating attack before there was a call for a change in location. My grandparents headed it, and as a leader, I absolutely understand why they did.

But, as I stand here beside Grace, listening to the wind howl and scream, I feel significantly more at peace than I ever am in the castle in the lower reaches.

Grace turns to me with a mischievous look in her eyes. “Can I see the wine cellar? I could use some good luck.”

“It’s a superstition, not a fact.”

“Come on, Bram.” She turns around to face me as she walks backward toward the door. “You’re a magic man with wings, horns, and the ability to see auras. You, more than anyone, should be willing to believe in magic.”

I follow her as if she wrapped a string around my heart and tugged. I haven’t known this woman long, but this is the side of her that I never expected. It’s almost playful, with a reckless edge that I recognize all too well. If I don’t accompany her, she’ll still go down to the basement and she might hurt herself along the way. “We can go, but you have to promise to be careful.”

“Absolutely not. Where’s the fun in that?” She grins. “But if it’s going to stress you out, I suppose you can lead the way. “

The castle may be made of stone, but it wasn’t built to be accessible to those without wings. There are stairs and ways to get around without flying, but they’re tucked out of the main hallways. This is one of the biggest changes that was made to the design for the castle I live in now. A welcome one, honestly. It’s ridiculous to require someone with a wing injury or disability—or wingless guests—to go so far out of the way. I’m glad it’s no longer an issue.

But it gives me the excuse to launch forward and scoop Grace into my arms again. I enjoy her snarl of faux outrage. “No stairs. We’ll take the fast way.”

“The—” She lets out a little yip as I step through the door and right off the ledge into the air shaft below.

I like that sound. I like it even more now because I know she’s not actually scared. We descend in a lazy spiral, finally coming to land three floors below. This time, I’m slower to set Grace on her feet. “Be careful. Some of the ceiling has started to collapse in certain areas.”

She turns a slow circle, taking everything in with her gray eyes that see far too much. “This place is remarkably well-preserved. I’m surprised you bother to do sweeps of it. People can be fools, but I would think most of them could navigate this space without too much trouble.”

Something akin to embarrassment heats my skin. I drag my hands through my hair and look away, unable to meet her gaze. “There’s not a lot of help my people accept from me. Each of the noble families is responsible for their own portion of the territory, and while I technically oversee all of them, they’ve been functioning well for generations and don’t require much oversight. There’s only so many territories in this realm, and I’ve already negotiated the trade deals that benefit us. Those will continue to remain in place unless something drastic happens. “Patrolling the spaces where superstitions lead my people and ensuring there are no dangers here?” I lift my hands and let them fall back to my sides. “It’s the least I could do.”

She props her hands on her hips. “Bram, I don’t know if that’s the single sweetest thing you’ve ever said, or the saddest. It’s quite possibly both.”

The flashing feeling beneath my skin gets stronger. “It’s what anyone would do in my position.”

“No. It’s really not.” She makes a move as if she’s about to shift toward me but seems to think better of it. “Most people wouldn’t dredge up the effort to piss on the nobles if they were on fire after the way they turned on you. Most people would punish them for the disrespect. Most people would use their power as leader of the territory to force obedience. Or maybe walk away completely. I don’t know. Either way, they wouldn’t continue to care for people who repeatedly reject them.”

The way she says that... it’s almost as if she admires it. But that can’t be right. I’ve fallen short of every expectation set for me. That trend started long before my family died and my cowardice ensured my survival. I was always too soft for my father’s tastes. I can still feel his derision, can see the colors painted across the air around him. “You’re wrong. I’m nothing special.”

Grace is silent for several beats. I refuse to look at her, refuse to see her colors and what they might tell me. Finally, she says, “If you say so. Now, show me the space that will bring me luck.”

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