Page 66 of Fractured Shadows

They fall into step behind us as we maneuver through the castle, past stone chambers and out the other side of the throne room, until we break into an outside courtyard. The black stone forms incredible pillars along corridors that surround the square courtyard. The stone under foot is polished and perfect, inlaid with golden designs that swirl through them. The castle’s arch seems to come together overhead, letting in what light there is but reflecting down the swirling patterns from the castle. All point to the middle of the courtyard, where vines crawl to and where the magic beckons me forward.

A huge stone fountain sits in the center, with a stone figure bent on one knee, his wings partially covering him.

I send my magic out, and a pulse returns from the statue.

“It’s alive!” I gasp, hurrying over to the stone and stopping before him.

I hear more footsteps and glance over to see the others joining us. Zee whistles when he spots the statue. “I thought he was dead.”

Turning to him, I frown. “He?”

“The king’s protector, a gargoyle.” When I look confused, he continues, “He can turn to stone like a statue. He was an incredible fighter. He was also the king’s best friend, but a good man. When the king died, we thought he did too. I guess we were wrong. I suppose he turned to stone, heartbroken and lost, and has just been here all this time.”

“I heard gargoyles become the statues they inhabit if they are in stone form too long,” Grim muses as he stares at the statue before us.

Turning back, I consider the stone figure. “I hope not. We need him to read the book and tell us what happened and where they are.” I glance up at the statue’s face. Even like this, I can tell the man was beautiful. With round eyes, a long, elegant nose, plump lips, and high cheekbones surrounded by wavy hair, he’s a work of art, and not just because he’s carved from stone. At the top of his forehead are two small horns, curving back slightly. His chest is bare and built with muscles, and his wings look almost leathery, like a bat’s, with horns at each tip. The one foot I can see peeking from behind it has three toes tipped with the same sharp claws as the ones on his fingers.

A gargoyle.

“Any ideas on how we should wake him?” Bracken asks, and there’s silence. “Anybody? Nobody? Well shit.”

“Maybe try your magic, Cora?” Zee suggests. “It’s what called us all, and it led you to him, therefore you must be able to wake him.”

“Smart.” Bracken nods. “And pretty. Leave something for the rest of us.”

Ignoring their bickering, I climb onto the base of the hexagonal fountain to get close. Pushing up on my toes, my front to the podium of the fountain he is frozen to, I carefully stretch my hand out. Before my hand touches him, however, I blow out an unsure breath. “Please work.” I send up the plea to whoever is watching over us and then lay my hand on his stone wing.

I feel the moment my magic crawls inside the stone, circling the remaining magic inside.

Within seconds, it flows through the statue and the stone cracks as the gargoyle explodes from inside. I’m thrown back, but arms catch me and pull me away as wings arch high into the sky and the man leaps up from the shattered remains before landing on two feet. His wings spread on either side of him, almost filling the courtyard with their dark black flesh. Veins of gold and white move through his wings, nearly making them shine. His hair is a matching black, falling to his shoulders in glossy waves, mixed with stars throughout as if he’s the night sky incarnate, and his eyes are as black as night as they lock on me.

He stumbles away from me before falling to his knees. He bends his head and folds his wings back before his hands dangle before him.

“I’m sorry, my queen. I did not mean to frighten you…” He trails off and lifts his head, his eyes narrowing as they focus on me. “You are not my queen. Who are you, human?”

I blink in surprise at the way he still kneels before me, but he asked me a question, and now isn’t the time to gawk at the beautiful gargoyle.

“My name is Cora, and I woke you because we need your help.”

ChapterThirty-Four

We all sit in the courtyard, gathering on a set of benches I didn’t see behind the fountain. They form a meeting space with a fire in the middle that Grim lights before shuffling to my side. He stretches his arm behind me, so I lean back into it. Zee sits on my other side with his hand on my thigh. Nero’s coils wrap around my legs, even though he sits on the bench to the left, lounging like the serpent he is. Bracken and Krug are both squished on the one to my right, while the gargoyle sits before me on the opposite bench.

His wings are carefully placed behind him over the bench, and his hair partially covers one side of his face as he tilts his head and watches me. “Cora, human, tell me why you have woken me,” he demands. His voice is rough, like crumbling stone, and it sends shivers through me with how deep it is.

My magic reacts, wanting to stretch toward him, but I ignore it.

“I need—we need your help. I’m sorry, I don’t know your name,” I reply as he glances at the monsters bracketing me possessively.

“I apologize for my manners. It can be confusing when turning back from stone. It takes a little while for my mind to thaw, but this time, it is taking longer than normal.” He stands and bows, his wings flaring out to the sides in a display that would put any lady from the Gilded Lands to shame. “I am Sir Razcorr, protector of the realm and the rightful king, flier of the great wars and winner of the Rubel Cup.”

Okay. I don’t know what most of that means, but I incline my head in acknowledgement, and he sits again. “Nice to meet you, Sir Razcorr.” I hesitate, biting my lip before continuing. “What do you remember?”

He frowns then, his eyes going blank as he seems to search his mind. “It is hazy,” he admits, and he seems to hate that weakness, judging by the scowl on his lips, which reveals the sharp points of his teeth.

“The king…” I hedge, unsure how to tell him.

“Is dead,” Grim states bluntly without care for sensitivity. “As is the queen. It has been many, many years since their deaths and the war.”

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