Page 6 of The Last Gargoyle's Christmas Wish
And the dog Briar currently cared for would not have been able to seek shelter in Briar’s cave if he’d used basic protection charms.
So Grady made them complicated. They kept out most, only welcoming family and also those in need of help, as long asthey meant no harm to the family. No deactivation incantation needed. Just a lot of energy.
Cas and Grady made their way down the alley in the direction of the Christmas markets. Jack, Lacy, and Trent had gone ahead a while ago. As he walked, Grady glanced up and spotted the gargoyle, exactly where he’d been the last time he looked.
That night, Grady worked until the Christmas markets closed. They packed up, and Grady sent the others home. He’d stayed back, as the oven had been playing up towards the end of the night.
He’d tried to work out the issue. But in the end, he’d given up, since he could barely think straight. Tomorrow, he’d just have to come in before the Christmas markets opened to check it out. Hopefully, he could fix it himself and wouldn’t need to spend money on repairs.
After taking the earnings from the day and tucking them into his coat, he walked the streets back to the bakery. His body aching with exhaustion, his feet trudged through the recently fallen snow.
Fuck, I want my bed.
And it was only the first of December, the first day of the busiest season for the family. He had the rest of the month to get through.
Maybe after he fixed the oven tomorrow, the rest of the day would run smoothly. Maybe there would be no problems with supplies, nothing forgotten, no siblings unable to work, no broken equipment, and no issues whatsoever.
Grady huffed. Probably not. At least it wasn’t snowing too much tonight.
Briar would hopefully be all right in his cave. Hopefully, the feral dog hadn’t attacked him. But Briar said he’d found the dog in the cave, so the dog probably wasn’t a threat; otherwise, Grady’s protection charm would have kept him out.
His limbs dragged. The muscle beneath his left eye wouldn’t stop twitching. Thankfully, he’d be home in a couple of minutes. Then he could sink into his bed.
He passed a goblin and a cyclops in a side alley. They spoke in low voices and glanced his way.
Grady’s stomach grumbled, gnawing at his spine. He’d managed a few bites of food during the night. But he needed to eat more. He needed to eat and get a good night’s sleep. Then his body would stop hurting, his brain wouldn’t feel like mush, his head would stop throbbing, the muscle would stop twitching, and everything would be fine. Just fucking fine.
Grady shook his head. He might be able to manage to get enough food when he got home. But he knew he’d not get enough sleep. He’d probably not get enough sleep until after Christmas, and maybe not even then.
Footsteps sounded behind him. He glanced into a window he passed. In the reflection, he saw the cyclops and goblin walking behind him.
Are they following me?
The cyclops pointed at Grady’s back. A tendril of panic unfurled in his gut. Grady lengthened his strides.
The cyclops and goblin increased their pace.
Grady ran.
So did they.
CHAPTER 4
Uzoth turned his head, staring over the rooftops. He’d heard a cry. Wings unfurling, he straightened his legs and stood. With a flap of his wings, he launched himself into the air, heading in the direction of the cry.
A few apartment buildings over, he peered down into a dark side alley. The witch Grady lay on the ground. Two attackers loomed over him, a goblin and a cyclops. The goblin kicked Grady in the stomach.
Grady cried out, curling in on himself.
Rage flooded Uzoth’s body.
The cyclops leaned down and grabbed something from inside Grady’s open coat. Grady didn’t even try to stop him.
Uzoth dived. He snarled, and the goblin and cyclops turned towards him, eyes widening as he opened his clawed hands.
Giving them no time to react, he gripped the cyclops by the neck and the goblin by the front of his coat. He lifted them into the air as his own taloned feet pressed into the cobblestones.
He bared his fangs. The goblin cried out. The cyclops feebly struggled against Uzoth’s clawed grip around his neck.
