Chapter 74
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR
Ellery
My mouth watered as the power continued to course through my body. It built higher and higher until I was sure it would explode out of me on a burst of blinding white light as my electricity erupted out of me.
It’s mine. It’s all mine!
But it isn’t. It’s not meant for you; it’s meant for them!
You’re a thief, but you can’t steal this.
The rational little voice I’d cursed earlier managed to break through the haze of yearning that had become an all-encompassing thing within me. It brought me back from the edge of a precipice I hadn’t realized I teetered on until reality returned.
With trembling hands, I threw the stone back at the pedestal. It clattered across the top and teetered on the edge before falling over the side.
When it clanked against the stone floor, my heart leapt into my throat and lodged there as it choked me. I waited for the stone to destroy everything, but it only rattled back and forth for a few seconds before going still.
From where I stood, the pedestal blocked my view of it, but its pulse picked up in speed again before the red light flashed over the land. The seconds turned into minutes as I stood there, trying to regain control of my riotous heart.
I had to get that stone to the gargoyles, but I dreaded going anywhere near it again, never mind touching it. I remained frozen by indecision. And every second that ticked by was one more second Ryker was at the mercy of his asshole father.
Stop being a coward, Ellery. You’ve never been one before, and now isn’t the time to start. MOVE!
However, I wasn’t sure I could trust myself to touch the stone again. Would it try to take control of me once more if I picked it up?
The possibility frightened me, but nowhere near as much as the idea of coming all the way here to walk away without any way of helping Ryker and the others. Children are counting on you. Do something!
I didn’t have a choice; I had to lift the stone. Bracing myself to get close to the gem again, I took a deep breath, walked around the podium, and stared down at the pulsing heart.
You can do this. You can do it for Ryker and all the others. Tucker and Callan are imprisoned too, and everyone else is sitting underground, slowly rotting. If you don’t do this, we’ll lose everything.
And if you do, it could also all be over. Why would the gargoyles keep you alive?
I really hated that voice of reason. It had some good points, but it was an annoying bitch.
Since I’d always trusted my instincts before, I decided to do so now. I could get this stone to the gargoyles, and they would help us.
Without further hesitation, I snatched up the stone and shoved it in my pocket. My hand brushed Ryker’s finger before the stone nestled against it. Maybe if it didn’t have direct contact with my skin, it would be easier to resist its lure.
Unfortunately, my clothes weren’t much of a barrier against the stone’s enticement, but Ryker’s finger had been a sharp reminder of why I was here. Unlike before, I remained focused on my goal of getting the stone to the gargoyles.
Feeling more confident in myself, I rushed around the pedestal, pounded down the steps, and raced through the castle until I emerged on one of the winding streets. Tucked in my pocket, the stone continued pulsing, but it didn’t illuminate the town with the same intensity as before.
That was okay; I didn’t require its light. I had my own.
The lightning crackling around my wrist illuminated the piles of clothes in the street as I ran for the cliffs. Ashes of the lost filled those clothes.
Reaching the cliff face, I grasped some of the rocks jutting from it and started climbing. I slipped a few times, and at one point, I almost fell fifty feet to the ground, but I managed to stop myself in time to keep from doing so.
When I got to the top, I pulled myself into the tunnel and ran back the way I came. I was exhausted, hungry, and desperate to sit, but I didn’t have time for that.
The longer I was down here, the more time Ryker would spend with his father and the worse things would get for him. Of course, I could be making things far worse by doing this, but that rationality had no place here.
Racing up and down the tunnel hills, I sprinted through the colder sections that, despite my exertion, still caused my teeth to chatter. As I ran, I came across the arrow I’d left behind, and my thoughts returned to Mouse.
As soon as I could, I had to find him.
If the gargoyles don’t kill him first.
Stop it!
I couldn’t keep swinging between doubt and certainty; it would drive me insane. Instead, I focused on my burning lungs, aching legs, and blinking away the sweat coating my lashes.
I forged on as my body protested every step and teetered on the verge of collapse. Running for long distances wasn’t an issue for me, but I’d been doing it at top speed down here, and I wasn’t used to that, or running on empty for so many hours.
If I survived the gargoyles, I needed to find water and food. I couldn’t keep going like this; I wasn’t going to be of any use to Ryker or anyone else if I collapsed.
My breath thundered around me, and my heart raced as I rounded a bend and the entrance to the gargoyles’ cavern loomed out of the shadows before me. Without meaning for it to happen, my steps instinctively slowed.
I had to do this, but unlike when I first became the Hooded Robber, I was very aware of the potential consequences. Instead of helping Tempest, I could condemn it to more brutality.
It’s not too late; you can still turn back, that stupid little voice whispered, before they kill everyone.
Or I could free us all by returning the heart to the gargoyles. There were nowhere near as many gargoyles as there were soldiers in the duke’s army, but those vicious-looking creatures could unleash a lot of damage.
That’s only if they decide to help you. There’s no guarantee in that.
Oh, fuck off!
Reason and sanity warred with my heart as I plunged into the gargoyles’ cavern. The icy air inside their prison enveloped me.