Page 67 of The Huntsman's Heart
I sigh. He is right. There is another consideration as well. After this morning, I can’t go through with my plan to destroy Alaric. But if I take him with me, there’s a good chance Melantha will find a way to use that against me or harm him if she sees what he means to me. And until I recapture his heart, that’s a veryreal risk. I need a little time to plan how to convince him to stay behind.
“Very well, but I will not delay long. I was unprepared last time. I will not make that mistake again. I will need a disguise and more weapons.” I turn to my gargoyles. “Can you prepare that for me?”
“Of course.”
“Good. And I will practice borrowing.”
Alaric scowls. “Do you think it wise after what just happened?”
“Well clearly you do not.”
His eyes darken. “I do not want to lose you again.”
“Then I must practice so I can perform when it matters.”
We glare at each other a moment longer. None of the gargoyles moves, and eventually Alaric swipes a hand over his face. “Fine, but not without me. And not too many at once.”
I step closer, reaching up to grasp the back of his neck and pull him down until our noses almost touch. “Tell me again who is in charge.”
His muscles tense under my fingers, and a low growl tears from him. “You, princess.”
“Then I will do exactly as I see fit. And you will do as I tell you.”
“Yes.” It’s clear he doesn’t like it, but that only excites me more. He doesn’t have to obey, but he will. Can I trust that he would stay here if I told him to?
I release him, still mulling it over in my mind. “Come. We have practice to do.”
He visibly relaxes at the acknowledgement that he is allowed to join me and follows me out of the tower. On the way down the stairs, I admire the gargoyles’ handiwork. The steps are perfectly aligned and each tread is smooth. As we descend into the courtyard I look around, surprised to find the rest of the castle still looks much as it did before. It only highlights how much they have achieved in a small time.
“We could do this from the comfort of your tower,” mutters Alaric as he ducks his head to step out of the arched doorway behind me.
“We could, but I want to get a better look at the effect.”
He narrows his eyes, but before he can ask, I draw on the power inside myself and reach out, searching for the empty vessels I know are waiting out of sight. It’s easier every time I do it. It hardly takes any time at all before I locate the first ones—a little bird with a bent neck, a rat, a hare who staggers to its feet on wonky legs. That’s not enough.
The problem last time was I took too many, but that made me see what’s possible, and there’s power in scale. In the chaos that will come from raising many at the same time.
“Princess.” Alaric’s low voice is a warning, but I ignore him, reaching beyond the castle and surrounds and out into the woods.
Cool hands close over my shoulders and there’s a steadying sense of his presence behind me. For now he’s watching, lending me strength. It works too. My reach stretches further. Soon skeletons crawl from the soil and the forest swarms with a host of dead bugs and flies and then I find it. The headless body of the wyrm Alaric killed the night he brought me into the Gloamwald. It slithers upright and joins the mob of creatures at my disposal.
The rotting, stinking army of creatures lurches toward the castle, drawn to my call.
I’m still not satisfied. I need more.
I reach out further. Alaric’s fingers dig into my shoulders, but I ignore the silent warning. My vision starts to black so I close my eyes and find I can go further. More dead things rise to stumble toward us until the courtyard starts to fill with them.
I only realize I’m shaking when his arms wrap around me to hold me still. “Stop, Guin.”
“No.” My hold slips, and for a moment the creatures drop to the ground.
I have to concentrate hard to reanimate them again, to have them drag themselves up to keep going, shuffling and hopping and limping toward the castle.
“Enough.”
I grit my teeth. Just a little longer.
“Please.”
