Knights-of-Stone-Bryce (11 page)

Taking a fortifying breath, she soared above the cover of the forests and over the homes of her clan. Now still and devoid of life. A graveyard that mocked her with a morbid reminder of all the boisterousness that it once had. She’d grown up there. Played with her friends. Lived with her parents. Gone, all were gone…

Her breathing quickened. Terror crept up her spine.

She couldn’t do this. Had to get out of there. Escape all the memories of death that surrounded her.

Realigning herself to fly back down, she aimed for cover. To find a temporary refuge under the trees, once again.

She paused in flight. What was she doing? Taking the cowardly way out. The gargoyles were all down there, counting on her.
She
was the reason they were here. They’d come to help her. Sure they came to protect against further attacks, yet they also were helping her in her mission to avenge the annihilation of her clan.

The demons’ eyes were on her. Their soulless glare crept along her flesh, even without her spotting them. Bryce was down there. He’d done so much for her. Left his home and convinced others to help.

And now she was going to give up as a failure because she was scared?

She forced herself to halt her descent and inched back in the open air over the forests. Setting herself up like a lone rabbit circled by rabid wolves. A tantalizing morsel to tempt the demons out of hiding. Minutes ticked by, as slow as months, as she soared far from her former home, inviting the darkness to claim her in the pitch sky.

“Well, look at this. The orphaned gargoyle has returned?”

The low, slithering voice. She recognized it. A chill rippled through her, making her freeze. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed it was indeed the same two demons—or sluaghs—who’d captured her.

All the terror from that period whooshed into her. The heartache of her loss. The despair. No sliver of hope that they’d ever let her escape. Not after what they’d done to the rest of her clan.

You have to do this.

“Stay away from me,” she shouted, moving back.

She set off in motion to lure them out into the open air. Putting all her faith in the gargoyles. If they didn’t see the sluagh and pursue them, her actions would be futile.

And fatal.

The arrival of two sluagh made Bryce’s stomach lurch. Even at this distance, under the cover under a downed oak, he sensed their malevolence as Mairi had described. His skin prickled from the sudden whoosh of cold on an otherwise calm night.

When they put their hands on Mairi, every fiber of Bryce’s muscles hardened as if he’d shifted to stone. His hand clamped over the handle of the silver sword as he soared at them. He had to get to Mairi, get her away from them. Emotions flared as he rushed forward, engulfed in a blind rage.

Protect her.

Flying at a greater speed than he ever had before, fueled by adrenaline and pure fury, he reached one of the sluagh before it even registered Bryce approaching from behind. He lashed with his sword at the one who’d grasped Mairi and sliced clear through its arm. The demon shrieked an unholy sound that vibrated along every bone inside Bryce’s ears. The sluagh’s hand still clutched her arm with long, thin fingers. She gasped with revulsion and tore the hand off her, tossing it.

Since the sluaghs had torn off their victims’ limbs, Bryce had a fleeting moment to relish in the just payback. Yet, the battle had only just begun.

The other sluagh roared as it lunged for him, talons extended and jagged fangs exposed. Its red eyes glowed through the dark of night.

Bryce used his forearm to brace against the onslaught headed his way. The creature penetrated the flesh of his arm, making him cry out. The pain was intense, burning with a radiant heat. But at least, the sluagh hadn’t pierced his throat.

Mairi screamed, “No!”

She pulled out a dagger and impaled the demon through the side of the neck. Blood sprayed out from the wound, showering them in a rain of the vile, purplish liquid.

The other sluagh had recovered from the shock of losing one hand and joined the battle. Bryce and Mairi slashed at them with their weapons, but within moments, it was clear these creatures had unearthly power that eclipsed theirs. After the initial surprise that put odds in Bryce and Mairi’s favor, the demons advanced on them, undaunted. Not even the sheer gargoyle strength would hold them off for long.

Where in bloody hell were the other gargoyles? He hadn’t taken a moment to call to them to let them know what happened. With them all spread out over the realm, each had a limited view of the surroundings.

Demons. Near my vantage point. Engaged.

That was all he had time to sputter out before the vision before him commanded all his attention. More winged monsters flew into the fray, surrounding them with a maelstrom of frosty air and hideous shrieks.

Bryce slashed at each one, but it was only a matter of time before they were overpowered by the demons. Their viciousness was evident, making it clear how they destroyed Mairi’s entire clan. Still, he’d fight with all he had to protect her; all that mattered was keeping her safe.

Even if it appeared to be a losing battle.

Flashes of gray penetrated the shadows of the night. His brothers and the other gargoyles.
Finally
.

Bryce cried out. Whether in relief or more terror, he wasn’t sure. They’d come to help them—yet might perish in the process.

Lachlan sliced through the space between two sluagh, cutting off the other arm of the injured demon before he positioned himself on the other side of Mairi, keeping her protected in between them.

“Need a hand?”

Bryce barked out a laugh at Lachlan’s terrible pun, despite the dire conditions. They’d often used humor in the face of tense situations, and this was the most challenging yet. “Many. Keep that up.”

Mason, Gavin, and Calum completed their circle, protecting Mairi from the sluagh.

Black beings flew toward the gargoyles. More sluagh. Losing the battle seemed inevitable. Still, they’d fight on.

Duncan shouted commands at his clan while Bryce and his brothers continued to guard Mairi. She powered on undaunted, flying through the gaps to swipe at the oncoming sluagh. Her eyes blazed with fire, consumed by her need for revenge.

Despite the drive to keep her safe, he couldn’t deny her that what she needed—vengeance against those who’d wronged her.

Although he wouldn’t stop her from fighting, he’d damn well use every bit of his power to keep her from being harmed in the process. He shadowed her moves, staying close.

I have to protect her,
he told his brothers.

We’ll cover you both
, Lachlan replied.

In the minutes that passed, or maybe hours, the battle raged on. Gargoyles versus demons in the air—whooshing strokes of gray and black across the dimly lit night under a half moon. And their eyes—the red glowing orbs that pulsed like a warning.

Although the demons fought with vicious precision, piercing gargoyle flesh with their sharp talons, they’d didn’t have the element of surprise and the two-on-one approach they’d used in the spineless way they’d attacked Mairi’s clan. The gargoyles had come prepared, armed with an array of weapons—spears, swords, silver daggers, and poisoned tips—using everything they had to defeat an enemy they weren’t sure could be vanquished.

Although the weapons injured them and slowed them down, the demons continued their assault. A sinking blackness swept through Bryce. If the sluagh couldn’t be destroyed, the battle could only end in one way.

With the gargoyles defeated.

A sluagh somehow managed to slip past them, pinpointed on Mairi.

“No!” Bryce lifted his heavy sword overhead and swung with all his might with a sideways trajectory. The weapon met the sluagh’s neck and severed its head from its body.

“Well done,” Lachlan said, watching as the demon’s head fell toward the earth.

Its body still moved, reaching for its missing head.

Duncan shouted from behind. “Pull out the sachets. And fire at them!”

The enforcers around already had their sachets out and threw flames at the nearby demons. They recoiled as the sparks danced along their hideous flesh.

Yet, still, it didn’t stop them.

The headless sluagh flew with talons extended toward Mairi, somehow sensing where she was. Bryce pulled out a sachet and hurled the flammable powder at its hideous torso. Sparks flashed on the sluagh’s flesh, but it only deterred it. It wasn’t enough.

Would anything stop it?

With a frustrated cry, Bryce threw a blast of energy its way opening his fist, the same way that had landed him in trouble as a youth. The sparks blasted into flames, scorching the demon. Mairi turned to him with widened eyes before the growing flames caught her attention. The flames caught hold of the sluagh’s tattered cape and spread. It shrieked as it flew in circles, a soaring torch—like a distorted firework.

“That’s it!” Duncan declared. “Fire. Throw everything you’ve got at it!”

Bryce projected a stronger blast of energy at the burning demon, but with so much force, it knocked him back. He descended out of control for several feet before he stopped his momentum. As he ascended, he tried to catch his breath after expending that vast amount of energy. The demon was now engulfed in flames, ashes falling from its disintegrating form. It screeched, sounding like a cross between a woman’s scream and the cry of wind during an epic storm. Several flashes later, it vanished into nothingness.

Flying back to Mairi with determined speed, he shouted, “Project your energy to magnify the flames.”

She reached for her sachet and said, “Aye.”

When the next demon approached, Bryce forced himself from surging forth to shield her from the oncoming threat. He had to trust her with this task. She’d more than proven herself courageous and capable. Perhaps defeating the perpetrators would help some of her ghosts fade.

Mairi hurled the fine powder, alighting the dust with her magic as it propelled toward the advancing sluagh. By the time it had touched its flesh, the flames were already several inches tall, scorching the dark creature that howled in pain.

Rather than waiting for the demon to incinerate completely, she advanced with her sword raised.

Was she out of her mind? The growing flames were too dangerous. She couldn’t get that close without getting hurt.

Yet she persisted, shrieking with a battle cry reminiscent of Calum’s onstage antics. She surged forward and struck at the burning demon, slicing clear through its neck. Its bird-like head separated from its body, mouth still wide and shrieking that horrid sound as it plunged down.

Mairi recoiled. Flames danced on her thick, gray hide. Her gargoyle flesh protected her more than human skin, but it was not fireproof. She screamed as the fire traveled up her arms, catching her outstretched wings, where it burst with a greater intensity.

“No!” Bryce shouted, darting toward her.

Her injured wings stopped flapping in the air. She fell toward the earth.

Bryce soared faster, sending out energy that would minimize the roaring flames.

It missed her. A wasted burst of magic that hadn’t accomplished anything.

She was falling. Too fast. He had to reach her.

If anything happened to her…

He bolted with his wings in tight to gain more momentum. Reaching out, he brushed her skin, but he couldn’t catch her.

With another surge of energy, he blasted toward her. This time he had enough to grasp her ankle. He got a better hold of her. He pressed his body to hers and wrapped his wings around her to smother the flames. The searing heat shot onto his chest, making him cry out from the intense flash of pain.

But it was working. The flares died down. He shot another blast of energy to put out what remained.

The burns and depletion took too much from him. He was losing his strength.

With a devastating realization, he sensed them both descending, falling to the earth. They were going to fall. Crash. Too far for any chance of survival.

He maneuvered beneath her. If he took the brunt of the impact, she might have a chance.

“I’ve got you,” Mairi said.

The next moment, her energy rippled through his body, energizing him cell by cell. Like when he shifted from stone, but far more intense—and invigorating. Her essence soared through him, enriching him with a power he’d never known.

He flapped his wings again and powered on. When they leveled, he flew them to the earth.

Once stable on the ground, she said. “I’m sorry; I had to do it. It was the one who taunted me.”

“I understand. You destroyed it. It can no longer hurt anyone.”

“You got burned in the process,” she said, eyes swimming with pain. “All because of me.”

“I made that choice,” he said in an effort to comfort her. “Don’t blame yourself.”

She searched his eyes and then bit her lip. “I’m useless now. I can’t fly.” She peered back at her damaged wings and plopped down on the earth, wincing from the burns. “And I have nothing left.”

“Let me see them.” He eyed her wounds.

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Do what you have to do.”

He beamed at her. She’d given him her energy, depleting her reserves. “You’ve given me everything I need.” Raising his finger, he said, “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back for you.”

Bryce soared upward and rejoined the battle. Although they suffered many injuries, one by one, the gargoyles defeated and destroyed the sluagh. They chased the gutless ones who flew away after seeing the bleak fate of their companions and thought they’d destroyed them all. The scent of the burning flesh lingered, long after the ashes had fallen.

He should have been relieved, but he wouldn’t be until he found Mairi. Searching where he’d left her, she was gone.

Damn it! He’d told her not to leave.

Unless she’d been taken…

Mairi
.
Where are you?

She didn’t answer. Ice clamped over his soul.

Help me find her!

He and his brothers flew under the cover of trees so as not to miss anything. A flash of tan and orange amid the greens and browns of the forest caught his eye. He rushed over to it.