Page 43 of The Stone Survival
Iunderstand why Cameron loves it up here in the observatory. There’s a sense of peace. A sense of being above it all, as if the worries of the world are far below, out of reach. Up here I can stargaze and dream of Selas. Of all the things that could have been, that should have been. Memories of her saturate my being, and I can bathe in them and cry if I want to. But when I leave this room, all those feelings go in a box, which gets locked away until my next visit.
I’m hoping that in time the pain will lessen and the urge to open that box will diminish, and eventually the box will become nothing but a distant fond memory.
I settle in Orix’s seat, the chair I now call my reflection seat, and look up at a sky speckled with stars. A cluster winks at me, then another, and…Wait…What is that shadow blocking them out?
A bird? Too large. No, it’s a figure with wings. Wait…what…The figure drops altitude suddenly before catching itself. It’s close enough now for me to make out that it’s a goyle. A femaleand…I know that form. The dark hair and…The moon catches the figure’s face, and its eyes blaze silver.
I shoot out of my seat as the figure falls, heart pounding in my throat as I race out of the room and down the stairs because it’s Selas.
Selas is back!
I barrel down the stairs, almost running into Curi, who’s on his way up.
“Touron, what the fuc?—”
“Selas is outside!”
I don’t stop to explain, focused only on getting down this damn tower and out to her.
I hit the ground floor and slam out of the door into the night. Where is she? There!
She’s shifted back to human form and lies crumpled several feet from the tower.
I run toward her, barely aware of the bootfalls running up behind me.
“Fuck!” Curi cries.
She’s out cold, but when I scoop her up into my arms, she screams in agony.
“Her leg!” Curi warns. “Be careful.”
I adjust my grip on her, making soothing noises as I slowly lift her.
“Touron…” She doesn’t open her eyes, knowing me by scent.
Curi runs ahead to open the door as I carry her back to the tower. “I’ve got you.” She nuzzles closer, and my heart stutters because the fact that she shifted and flew all this way means something is wrong. “You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”
And I don’t care what the future holds because I’m not walking away from her again. Not until there is no choice but to do so.
CHAPTER 22
CAMERON
Selas sat propped against Touron on the lounge sofa, her leg stretched out and braced on a cushion. The position couldn’t be the most comfortable for Touron, leaving his large frame squished onto the end of the sofa, body twisted at the waist so that he could act like a back rest for Selas. But if it bothered him, he didn’t show it. In fact, he seemed content to be wrapped around her.
She’d flown for hours to warn us about the faction. The faction her father was working for. It was damning information that only strengthened our suspicions as to how deep the faction had its claws in the gargoyle government.
She watched us through milky eyes smudged with dark circles as we absorbed everything that she’d told us. “Benny gave me a book. It might have more information in it. It’s in my thigh pocket. Touron, could you…”
“Yeah, one sec.” Touron reached around her to get to her pocket, and she winced in pain as the motion knocked her leg. “Sorry, so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” She relaxed against him as he passed the book to Orix, who flipped it open and began to read.
“It’s notes. Snippets of…There’s a list of names in here. It says…the other puppets…” He slowly raised his head and looked across at Levi. “Ulrickson’s name is on here.”
Levi’s jaw clenched. “Let me see that.” Orix passed him the book, and he raked the page over, nostrils flaring. “Fuck…”
“Who else is on it?” Serath asked.
