Page 78 of Hearts of Stone

“Wulfstan, then,” Agnes said, nodding regally to me. “I cannot show you how to heal him,yet.”

I’d drawn in a deep breath as she started speaking, ready to launch forth with all the reasons why she should do exactly that, when I heard the last word.

“Yet? Why not now?”

She let out a long-suffering sigh, something I remembered well from my Year 10 maths teacher, but Mr French had been nowhere near as elegant in his demeanour. As Agnes swept forward, Daniel took a cautious step backwards. Hands knotted with age took mine, squeezing them. Graven muttered something, and I could sense all three gargoyles on high alert, but Agnes simply smiled gently at me.

“You are brand new to your magic and powerful.” I took a hopeful breath and held it, before letting it out in a sigh as she continued. “But inexperienced with it. It’s all too easy when healing to give and give of your energy until you have nothing left to support your own systems. You could die healing Wulfstan in your current untrained state.”

“Jade, please…” Carrick stepped forward. “Wulfstan is our brother, but in his lucid moments, he wouldn’t want this for you. He deserves to be freed.”

“Finally,” I growled, shooting everyone a dark look. “Someone agrees with me.”

He shot me a rakish smile in response.

“Of course, my mate, in all things.” But that sly wink of his made me think that was not entirely true. “But Agnes is a widely respected practitioner of magic. If she says not yet…”

Then it really meant not yet, that went unsaid. Agnes squeezed my hands again in sympathy.

“If it makes you feel any better, all neophytes are anxious to learn, to come into their power. You can use that passion to help you focus on your studies.”

“Fine.” Why did it feel so wrong to cede that point? Because of guilt, that’s why. It was bad enough that I was lolling aroundin a mansion as other people struggled. I was now doing so knowing that there was a jail hidden amongst the pretty gardens of the estate, one where an undeserving prisoner was being held. “So how do I start? You said to visualise what I want—”

“Not yet.” A little pat on the hand, that was all the dismissal I got. “I would not attempt to work with you with the way your energy is right now. And when you have come into your power, you must be sure to be aware of your energy and not work magic unless you are sure you are balanced.” Agnes tapped her sternum. “When your energy is chaotic, the results of your spells will be too. We need to be calm, centred before we try to do anything. Emotions are an unruly form of energy. They can be very powerful, but hard to direct. Go, rest.” She smiled as she looked across at the gargoyles. “Spend some time with your fated mates. You’ll need to decide whether or not you wish to accept the bond.”

“But I can’t be with all of them.”

Taking a step away from Agnes was rude, I knew that, but that’s what I did. My eyes raked across everyone in the room, taking in their individual expression. Seneca, full of hope. Carrick, suddenly serious. Graven, worried, that’s what that small frown meant. And Daniel, wide-eyed and full of wonder, but also worried for me. I was surrounded by people who cared about me, which normally would have lifted me up, but I couldn't stop thinking of Wulfstan… I closed my eyes and saw him again, hiding within the shadows of Z Ward, then I shivered as I heard the echo of his scream. Opening my eyes, I asked them, straight out.

“Wulfstan’s my mate too, isn’t he?”

I almost wanted them to say no, to help shift the immense feeling of responsibility that was crushing down upon me.

“Jade—” Graven started to say.

“He is.” Carrick shot the other gargoyle a dark look. “There’s no point pretending otherwise. He wouldn’t have woken if it wasn’t for Jade. He belongs to you.”

And that was the problem. My hand found my breastbone, rubbing at the skin there beneath my t-shirt. An itch had started there, a sort of nervous rash that only got worse each time I worried at it. Before I had been given the news of my inheritance, I’d been wrapped up in my own pain, my own fall from grace. Although coming into possession of the house had alleviated so many of those problems, there were others that had taken their place, and these were inarguably weightier. Money and power might allow you to make greater changes, but that meant your responsibilities grew, too.

“I need a drink,” I said.

“Jesus, fuck. Me too.” Daniel appeared by my side, a gleam in his eye, then thrust his arm out for me to take. This was normal, familiar, although a little odd in this context, but I forced myself to smile.

“I think I know just the place.” And when I considered what might happen with the combination of Daniel and alcohol at the satyr’s bar, my fake smile turned into a smirk.

“Well, well, well. Look who’s back!”

Silenus stoodup from behind his stall and that’s when I saw for myself exactly what he was. His goat-like eyes with their vertical slit of a pupil had been a sure-fire hint the first time I’d met him. But having a vague idea of what he might look like and seeing that his legs were totally the hindquarters of a goat were two very different things. And then there was the cute little tail that swished as Silenus watched us look at him, while we tried not to make it obvious we were staring.

“Decided to take me up on my offer, Mistress?” Those alien yellow eyes glinted with mischief, then swivelled to take Daniel in. “And who do we have here? The more, the merrier, I say.”

“He…” Daniel was jabbing a finger at the satyr. “He…”

I grabbed his hand and pulled it down.

“Daniel, this is Silenus. Silenus, this is Daniel.”

“Chaíromai pou se gnorízo,” the satyr said, offering his hand. Still relatively speechless, Daniel took it with a kind of rapt fascination. Silenus didn’t shake his hand so much as slide his palm slowly across Daniel’s. “Aren’t you the pretty one?”

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