Page 33 of Feral Gods
We round a corner and nearly collide with Zephyr, whose silver-gray form bears fewer battle marks than Thane's but radiates exhaustion. The scholarly gargoyle's turquoise eyes brighten at the sight of me.
"Good. This way." He gestures toward a narrow staircase cut directly into the mountain stone. "The chamber below connects to the eastern tunnels if necessary."
"Ravik?" I ask again, unaccountably worried for the alpha gargoyle despite his overwhelming power.
"Covering our retreat," Zephyr answers, his expression tightening. "He insisted on being the last defense."
Something cold settles in my stomach at these words. "We need to help him."
"We need to protect you," Thane counters firmly. "That's what he's fighting for."
The implication—that Ravik values my safety above his own—sends a confusing mixture of warmth and dread through my body. Before I can argue further, a tremendous impact shakes the very mountain beneath us, dust and small stones raining from the ceiling.
"Move!" Thane pushes me toward the stairs, his massive body shielding mine from falling debris.
We descend into darkness, illuminated only by the faint glow emanating from the runes etched into the gargoyles' skin. The stairway opens into a hexagonal chamber unlike any I've seen in the temple—older somehow, its architecture predating even the ancient sanctuary above. Six pillars rise from floor to ceiling, each carved with spiraling symbols that seem to shift and move in the dim light.
"What is this place?" I whisper, the space somehow demanding reverence.
"The heart of the mountain," Zephyr answers, approaching a central altar. "The sanctuary was built around this chamber, not the other way around."
The altar pulses with faint magenta light—the same color that manifested during my unexpected magical display. The recognition sends a shiver along my spine.
"It knows you," Zephyr observes, watching my reaction. "The magic here responds to your presence."
Before I can process this information, another impact rocks the chamber, this one closer and more violent. Dust cascades from ancient cracks in the ceiling, and one of the pillars develops a hairline fracture from base to midpoint.
"They're through the secondary defenses," Thane growls, positioning himself between the stairway entrance and where I stand.
Zephyr's expression grows grim. "Ravik should have rejoined us by now."
The implication sends panic clawing up my throat. Despite his overbearing protection and stubborn command, the thought of Ravik falling to dark elf blades is unexpectedly devastating.
"We have to find him," I insist, already moving toward the stairs.
Thane blocks my path with one massive arm. "Absolutely not."
"You don't understand," I argue, my voice rising. "He's only in danger because of me. Because I brought this down on all of you."
"He's in danger because he chooses to be," Zephyr corrects gently. "As do we all."
Another impact, closer still. The damaged pillar creaks ominously.
"The eastern tunnels," Thane decides, looking to Zephyr. "If they've breached this far, we need to evacuate."
"And leave Ravik?" I demand, incredulous.
"He would want you safe," Zephyr says, though conflict shadows his features.
"I won't be the reason you abandon him," I state, a new resolve hardening within me. "If I'm truly as valuable as everyone seems to think, then I should have some say in how that value is used."
Both gargoyles stare at me, clearly unprepared for this assertion of will.
"Here's what we'll do," I continue, surprising myself with the calm authority in my voice. "Thane, you'll check the upper levels. If Ravik is injured, bring him here. If he's still fighting, help him hold the line. Zephyr stays with me to prepare defensive measures in this chamber."
I half-expect them to dismiss my plan outright, to insist on their original course. Instead, they exchange a look I cannot fully interpret.
"And if I find him fallen?" Thane asks bluntly.
