Page 125 of The Stone Initiation
“I don’t know, Cam,” Shar said. “When will I ever get a chance to wear these.”
“We’ll make it happen. We won’t be at the academy forever, Shar. Once we get our posting, there’ll be opportunities.”
She turned the silver pointy-toed sandals over and stroked the velvet material. “You’re a dreamer, you know that?”
“Maybe. Or maybe I’m just an optimist.” I shrugged. “Buy them or I’ll buy them for you, and then I’ll be broke, and it’ll be your fault.”
She grinned up at me. “Fuck it.”
I picked up some new clothes and essentials then we met up with the omegas in a bookstore. The last half hour was spent browsing old books that had been beautifully rebound by the owner. Shar and I bought several between us with the promise of swapping once we’d read them.
The afternoon was topped off by delicious food and scrumptious dessert all paid for by the academy, and by the time we made our way back to the alley I was ready for a nap.
“Gather round ladies,” Evelyn said brightly. She pulled a crystal orb from her pocket and set it on the ground. “Closer, that’s it.”
We all shuffled closer to the orb and Shar put her arm around me. “Just in case,” she said. “But please don’t be sick on me.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Evelyn stamped on the orb and bright light blinded me. Once again, my stomach decided it was time to do some acrobatics, but this time when I came to, I was crushed against Sharniza’s bosom.
“Shar… Can’t breathe…”
“Shit.” She released me.
“What the…Where are we?” Chlobe asked.
It was dark, like night-time dark, except it had been late afternoon when we’d entered the alley.
“Where are we?” another omega echoed Chlobe’s question.
We were on a rise that sat above a shabby looking settlement with winding narrow streets and battered-looking buildings. The moon was smothered by clouds so that it was hard to make out much detail.
“There must be some mistake,” Evelyn said. “I…” She searched inside her bag as if expecting to find a different orb in there.
“It’s an outer eastern settlement,” Sharniza said. “Look at the post.” She pointed at a post halfway down the rise. It had a white circle pinned to it with a symbol I couldn’t read from this distance. “That’s a marker. These places are rife with threats and the last places to receive guardian help. We need to get to their local law enforcement building. They’ll have a comms unit to contact the nearest outpost.”
I’m glad she knew all this. But she was glossing over one huge fact. “Why did the orb bring us here?”
The flap of wings and an eerie screeching like gulls drifted on the wind. The hair on the back of my neck stood to attention. I looked up into the night sky just as the clouds parted and set the moon free to illuminate several winged creatures headed toward us. Too small to be gargoyles and too large to be birds.
“What are they?”
“Fuck,” Shar said. “Grotesques incoming!”
CHAPTER53
CAMERON
We ran down the hill toward the cover of buildings as the grotesque grew closer, dropping altitude with every passing second.
We hit the street and Evelyn banged on the nearest door. “Open up.”
Curtains twitched but no one answered.
“Move!” Sharniza morphed and kicked the door in.
Someone screamed. “You can’t come in. Go away.” A human woman hugged a child to her chest. “Please you’ll bring them to us.”
