The Gargoyle Gets His Girl

by Kristen Painter

  “I don’t know if I can.”

  “Roll onto your stomach.”

  She did as he asked, the thought of him wanting to marry her still at the forefront of her mind.

  He moved her hair out of the way and slowly began to work the muscles in her back and shoulders with his strong, capable hands, kneading and massaging and stroking the tension—and the thoughts—out of her.

  She sighed with the sheer pleasure of it. And then, somehow, fell asleep.

  Morning came bright and cheerful, but that wasn’t how Nick was feeling a few hours later as he stood beside Willa at the doors to the great hall. She identified herself to the guards, then they opened the doors to let her and Nick in.

  When the doors closed behind them, she grabbed his hand. “I know you didn’t have much of a choice, but thank you for coming with me.”

  “Wouldn’t be anywhere else.” If he could, he’d take her place in the challenge. Whatever was necessary to keep her from harm. “Although I’d rather be the one fighting.”

  She smiled. “I know. It’s enough that you’re here with me.”

  He kissed her temple. “Always.”

  They both took a look around. The great hall had been transformed from a gathering place into an arena. The long tables and benches had been pushed to the walls, leaving the center of the enormous space uncluttered. In that open area were two waist-high cubes of polished wood.

  Nick had no idea what purpose they served, but it was clear they’d be involved in the challenge in some way. He tipped his head toward them. “What are those for?”

  “No clue.”

  The room didn’t interest him as much as she did. She was a true fae beauty this morning, dressed in a long flowing robe and dress of pale purple and blue. A simple gold cord accented her narrow waist, and her hair was twisted back in a knot of braids to fall free down her back.

  She looked every inch the queen she would become today.

  She caught him watching and smiled, but worried lines creased her forehead. “What? You’re making me nervous.”

  “I was just thinking how beautiful you look.” He smiled back as she blushed a little. He wished there was something more he could do to alleviate her worries. “Don’t be nervous. You’ve got this.”

  “I hope.” Her gaze scoured the hall again. “I’m glad we came early.” Then her eyes narrowed on a distant spot. “Not early enough though, I see.”

  Nick turned. Kyanna and Zane walked toward them from the interior doors.

  Kyanna smiled radiantly. “Good morning, sister. Sleep well?”

  Willa smiled wickedly at Nick before answering Kyanna. “Eventually, yes.”

  Nick almost laughed. She’d fallen asleep five minutes into the massage he’d given her to help her relax and she’d stayed that way. He’d slept beside her, holding her in his arms and soothing her back to sleep the few times she’d tossed and turned, but if Willa wanted Kyanna to think her night with him had been spent doing much more intimate activities, so be it.

  Kyanna frowned. “I don’t know how you can…do such things.”

  “Really?” Willa tipped her head. “Don’t tell me the high and mighty All Seer never got the birds and the bees talk?”

  Zane snorted, which earned him a cutting glare from Kyanna. “You know what I mean.” She shifted her gaze to Nick, raking him up and down. “Although, maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m missing something by not giving it a try.”

  Willa made a face. “Let’s change the subject.”

  Kyanna smiled and licked her teeth. “Does it make you sad to think about losing your pet, sister dear? Maybe I’ll make him my official consort once I’m queen. Would that make you feel better?”

  Nick scowled at her. The thought turned his stomach. He snorted. “Like that would ever happen.”

  Kyanna leaned in. “Slaves don’t get a say in what they do and don’t do.”

  He bit back a retort, remembering that the bracelet on his wrist was supposed to be hers, not Willa’s, which meant he should still be under her command. It almost killed him, but he managed to nod and keep his mouth shut.

  “That’s a good boy.”

  “You disgust me, Kyanna.” Willa put her hands on her birdhips. “No creature deserves to be enslaved.”

  Kyanna walked within inches of Willa. “The old ways kept us strong.”

  “The old ways caused war and heartache.”

  “If you want things to be different, you’d better win the challenge.”

  “I’m going to, so you’d better be prepared to lose,” Willa shot back.

  Kyanna laughed. “I doubt it.”

  The interior doors opened again and a pair of the king’s guards walked out pulling a wheeled platform that held the king on a big tufted chair. His court followed him, the steward that had been instructed to run the challenge first in line.

  Willa bowed as he was escorted to the dais and helped to his throne.

  He sat and nodded at them. “Good morning, such as it is. I trust your early presence here means you’re ready for the challenge to come?”

  Kyanna spoke up first. “Ready to win, Your Highness.”

  “Very good, very good.” He looked at Willa. “And you, sister to the All Seer. Are you ready as well?”

  “Yes, Your Highness. I have one question, however.”

  “All right, that’s fair. Although I may not be able to answer it.”

  Willa took a breath. “Will the citizens of the kingdom be allowed into the great hall to watch the challenge?”

  Nick frowned. He hadn’t seen that coming. A crowd might make her more nervous. All those eyes watching, waiting for one of them to fail… He didn’t like it, but if Willa was asking for an audience, she must want one for a good reason.

  The king stroked his long white beard, his hand shaking slightly. He glanced at his steward. “Gerard, is that permissible?”

  The steward nodded. “If Your Grace decrees it so, it is perfectly acceptable.”

  The king smiled. “I think it’s a grand idea. The people should be able to watch the rise of their new queen.”

  Willa lifted her hand. “One more question, if I may.”

  The king nodded. “What is it?”

  “Could I have a moment with Gerard?”

  He glanced at the steward. The man shrugged as if to say why not. The king gestured toward the man as he looked at Willa. “A moment. We cannot delay this forever.”

  “Your Highness,” Kyanna started. “This is unfair.”

  The king lifted a feeble hand. “It’s only a moment, All Seer.”

  She stewed, crossing her arms. “Tyrra would never allow this.”

  Willa shot her sister a stern look. The nerve of Kyanna calling up the king’s unwell daughter whenever things didn’t go her way. Honestly.

  Kyanna looked away.

  Willa turned back to the king before he could change his mind. “I’ll be quick, Your Highness. Thank you.” She gave a short bow, then went off to a far corner with Gerard. Even with the distance, Nick could tell Willa was asking the man some hard questions as he jerked back and stared at her. Then finally, he nodded.

  Willa seemed relieved. She dipped her head in thanks, and they returned to the center of the room.

  The king raised his brows at Gerard. “All settled?”

  “Yes, Your Highness.” The steward had a curious twinkle in his eyes. “We are ready to begin.”

  The king raised his hand. “Throw wide the doors to the great hall. Send messengers to spread the word that the challenge is open to all.”

  Willa bowed again. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

  Nick went to her side. “Plan? As much as you can tell me.”

  She kept her eyes on Kyanna for a moment before looking at him. “I want witnesses. I don’t want her to be able to get away with a single thing.”

  Was that what she’d been talking to Gerard about? “Good idea.”

  It didn’t take long for word to spread, and so
on fae filled the great hall. The tables and benches became bleachers, and a noisy hum vibrated through the space as time ticked toward noon. Silk ropes and wood stanchions were brought in to cordon the center where Willa and Kyanna would face off.

  Their parents and Shay were given a close spot and seats made available to them. Nick stayed by the corner of the roped-off area with Willa. Neither she nor Kyanna had made any move to step inside it yet.

  Bells rang, and with noticeable effort, the king stood. “The hour of the challenge is upon us. I wish both parties good fortune and look forward to crowning one of them queen very soon. My steward, Gerard, is the master of this ceremony and as such, I give the floor to him.”

  The king sat and Gerard moved to the front of the dais. His posture was straight and proud as he spoke in a loud, booming voice that carried through the hall. “The challenge for queen is officially underway. Citizen Willa Iscovian challenges the All Seer, Kyanna Iscovian, for the privilege to wear the crown. All others please be seated.”

  Nick didn’t need to be told twice that he was one of the others. He leaned forward and whispered in Willa’s ear, “You can do this. I love you.”

  She nodded, strong and steady. “Me, too, you.”

  He glanced behind him, but there wasn’t a seat available. Beyond the makeshift bleachers, the crowd stood packed to the walls and all the way to the door. He frowned and looked at the other side.

  Then a hand grabbed his and tugged. Shay.

  She looked up at him. “Sit with me,” she whispered.

  He lifted his head. The space next to Melinna was empty. She patted it and smiled.

  He gave Willa’s hand a quick squeeze with his free one, then let Shay lead him back to the bench. Melinna moved over to make more room. He sat, and Shay immediately climbed into his lap, wriggling around to face the center of the room.

  Willa grinned, genuine happiness shining in her eyes.

  On the other side of the room, Zane had forced someone out of their spot and now sat, preening at his perceived specialness. Nick really wanted to pop him in the mouth. Just once. That’s all it would take anyway.

  A pair of the king’s guards strode forward, unhooked the silk cords and held them open.

  Gerard nodded at Willa and Kyanna, then gestured to the arena. “Please enter the challenge area and stand in front of one of the platforms.”

  Willa shot Nick a hopeful look, then walked through the rope. Kyanna came around from the other side, entering after her sister.

  Gerard spoke again. “Because both challengers are lapidus—” A murmur went up from the crowd, either because not everyone had been aware of Willa’s gifts or because Gerard had just confirmed the rumor of what she was. “The king asked me to design a challenge fit for their powers. As such, I researched our history and have come up with something very fitting.”

  He turned back toward the interior doors and called out, “Bring forth the queen-makers.”

  Another set of royal guards walked out, each carrying a tall rounded object with a flat base. They were draped in white fabric so it was impossible to make out any other details. They could have been vases. Or giant eggs. Nick had no idea.

  The guards each set one on the platforms before Willa and Kyanna, then stepped to the side while keeping a hand on top of the object and their eyes on Gerard.

  He gave a quick nod, and the guards pulled the fabric off.

  The assembled crowd took a sharp inhale, and the buzz of whispers reverberated through the hall. A slight smile curved Gerard’s mouth at the sound. But Willa’s face had gone unsettlingly pale.

  Kyanna just looked confused.

  Nick still had no clue what the objects were, but apparently he was in the minority. To him, they looked like strange bird cages, except they were egg-shaped and the wires were about as thick as his pinky finger and made of all different kinds of metal twisted together. The bottom of each cage balanced on a circle of polished marble. There didn’t seem to be any kind of pin or screw holding the cage there, it just…was.

  Inside, instead of a bird, floated a large, perfect spear of clear crystal. Maybe a foot long and six inches around. The largest he’d ever seen.

  “Those are pretty,” Shay whispered.

  He nodded. “Mm-hmm.” But pretty could very easily turn deadly.

  Gerard walked through the ropes and dismissed the guards, then turned in a slow circle to address everyone present. “Behold two of the greatest artifacts from our nation’s treasury. The Oracle’s Eggs. Designed by the greatest lapidus our kingdom has ever seen, the All Seer Wyndellia, who went on to become queen. She built one as a show of her power, then she built the second to show the first was no trick.”

  He swept the audience with his gaze. “She also gave her permission for the eggs to be used as needed.” His smile took on a satisfied quality. “Perhaps she foresaw a day like today.”

  After a dramatic pause, he turned to face Willa and Kyanna, putting his back to Nick’s side of the room. “On my word, the challenge will begin. The first lapidus to open her egg and remove the crystal is the winner.”

  Willa’s eyes rounded slightly, and she swallowed. Beside her, Kyanna chewed her bottom lip, the first crack in her bravado.

  “Any questions?” Gerard asked.

  Both women shook their heads no.

  “Good.” He turned to face the audience and did another three-sixty as he spoke. “For those of the more skilled among us who might be thinking about offering a little magical assistance, I’d suggest you not. The silk cord surrounding our two challengers is threaded through with silver and crystals of black tourmaline and charged with enough reflective magic to give you a good jolt.”

  Sounded like the fae equivalent of an electric fence, and based on the comments around him, it would deliver a bigger shock than what Gerard had indicated.

  Gerard raised his hands, then chopped them down through the air. “Let the challenge begin!”

  Willa did the only thing she could think of. She put her hands on the egg. Kyanna had the same idea, grabbing hold of hers at almost the same time.

  Willa sucked in a breath as her skin came in contact with the metal. It was old and each strand was an intricate braid of many metals. One was gold, silver and tungsten. Another was titanium, steel and copper. Yet another was brass, platinum and bronze.

  The metals were open and clear, and their song sang through her like a thousand bells being rung at once. It was as beautiful as it was overwhelming, and she almost pulled her hands away.

  She leaned her head on her arm and snuck a glance at Kyanna. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she was breathing, open-mouthed. Willa allowed herself a little satisfaction that the egg was nearly overpowering Kyanna’s senses, too.

  Willa closed her eyes and focused. She worked on controlling her breathing and her heart rate, which was currently too fast and making her jittery. She peeled apart the threads of the metal song in her head, listening to each one as she separated it.

  The most discernable ones were happiness at being used for such a beautiful object. Pride for the same reason. Disappointment over some of the combinations. Resentment from some of the grander metals at being paired with the lesser ones. There was the thrill and pleasure at being used by a lapidus of the skill level of the late All Seer Wyndellia. And finally, overlaying all of that was the rich, resonant voice of the crystal within.

  Wyndellia had imbued it with a message, but it was muted by the sounds of the metal. Willa worked her fingers through the openings in the cage, trying to touch the crystal to help isolate the words, but it was always just out of reach.

  She sighed and tried to pull the message out from the hot mess of emotion and sensation pouring off the metals. Word by word, it started to come to her, quietly but with a tone and meaning that was clear as a single chime.

  One wrong…move…and I will…shatter.

  Willa took her hands off the cage and stepped back. She stared at the egg, immediately understanding
why these objects were being used for the challenge.

  Untangling these strands enough to open the cage and retrieve the crystal would take intense concentration and extreme skill. Doing so without damaging the crystal might be impossible. What constituted a wrong move?

  The message added a brand new layer of complication.

  She glanced over at Kyanna. Her sister was hanging on, working away at the problem. Maybe she hadn’t heard the message. Or maybe she had and knew the solution. Or maybe she thought it was a trick.

  Could it be? Sure, that was a possibility.

  But if it wasn’t a trick, ignoring the warning was a foolish move.

  She took a few deep breaths. As much as she wanted to see Nick’s face, to see the reassuring smile he no doubt had waiting for her, she was afraid the distraction, as sweet as it might be, would ruin her concentration. Instead, she kept her head down, centered herself and put her hands back on the egg.

  The onslaught wasn’t as bad this time. Perhaps because she’d been prepared for it. And this time, instead of fighting it, she opened herself to it and let it wash through her.

  For a moment, she regretted the decision. It drowned her. Filled her head and her heart and her ears with the thump and chime and clang of the metal. The sound grew, reverberating through her until she could taste metal on her tongue and feel its cold, silky touch on her skin.

  She breathed through it and did her best not to react, just to be a conduit. Slowly, the crash of it broke away into smaller waves. Manageable eddies that were just as tactile but somehow softer and more bearable.

  Nothing she’d ever done in her life had prepared her for untangling a thing like this. There was no previous experience to call on, no book she’d read, no course she’d taken. She had no idea where to start.

  So she just did.

  The metals she worked with the most were also the most familiar, so she began with the strand of gold, silver and tungsten threads, thinking that would be her best option since the gold and silver should be easy to manipulate. From there, she went to the silver thread first. She wrapped both hands around the twist and focused on it.