Page 38 of The Stone Curse
His mouth parts in shock. He reaches for me. I’m so close I can almost touch him, but the world rocks and I’m thrown backward, snatched away from him and tugged into the claws of darkness once more.
“—up. You need to wake up.”
I surged into consciousness with Curi’s hands on my shoulders, his face a mask of concern.
The van shook, and someone howled.
“What the—” There were figures outside the van, circling and banging against the metal. Something smashed against the glass.
“Leave!” Orix yelled through the window.
“Why dontcha come out and say that, big guy?” one of the males outside goaded. He was small, maybe five seven, with a scraggly goatee beard and a beanie hat that made him look like he had a peanut head. His coat was all leather and dirty gray fake fur, and the bat clutched in his hand was encrusted with reddish brown stains.
Blood.
There were five others with him, all men. Humans.
“They’ll go away,” Shar said. “They’ll get bored and leave.”
“And if they don’t?” Levi asked. “That one has a blade.” He indicated a weaselly looking guy.
The man hopped from foot to foot in his battered boots and skinny jeans, his jacket a little too tight across his belly area.
“I can’t believe we have to sit this out,” Ginia groaned.
“What would you rather do?” Orix demanded. “Go outside and risk an altercation?”
“If you hadn’t noticed, we’re already in an altercation,” Curi said dryly. “The only difference is they’re doing all the altercating.”
“I’m confused,” Derek said. “Why can’t wemakethem leave?”
I’d only learned about the rule a few months before joining the academy. “Gargoyles are prohibited from attacking a pure human. They’re bound to protect them, and there are some humans who know this and, from time to time, take advantage.” Romi had told me a few stories about such groups. About agargoyle who’d been attacked, beaten, and tortured by a small group of humans who took pleasure in inflicting pain on what they called Otherworlders.
A bottle smashed against the side of the van, and laughter rose.
I glanced at Levi in the driver’s seat. “Why are we still here?”
“They’ve blocked off the road behind us and in front,” Levi said. “I can’t reverse or go forward.”
“So…gargoyles can’t attack them,” Derek pondered. “What about me? What about you my Cameron? You are not full gargoyle.”
He had a point. “Orix, is it just pure goyles who are prohibited from hurting a human?”
Palia sat up straighter in her seat. “Yes, yes, it’s purebloods. There’s no mention of halfbloods in the edict.”
“Good.” I made to squeeze past Orix, who was blocking the door, but he grabbed my arm.
“Don’t. What if you hurt them?”
“They’ll have had it coming.”
He released me with a sigh, and I pulled the lever to open the door.
The group backed up as I exited.
“Bit small for a stone bastard, aintcha?” the ringleader said. He sucked on his teeth. “You a runt?”
I gave him a closed-lipped smile. “Nope. I’m a halfblood. Do you know what that means?”
