Chapter 4 – Ryker
RYKER
Iexplode from the earth, coughing out dirt.
My mind spins, and I feel…strange. Groaning, I fight out of the mountain of earth, shaking the dirt from my ears and spewing it onto the ground next to me.
When I finally manage to pull myself free, I lie upon the ground, coughing up more dirt and shaking.
After a time, I lift my head and look back. Did I just crawl out of my own grave?
It’s impossible. Gargoyles don’t die. Nothing can kill us in our stone form.
But then…what happened? Was I buried in my stone form?
I stand on legs that quiver and move through the woods like a creature of death. My body is stiff and graceless. It seems I move that way for hours, not knowing where I’m going, when I come upon a lake.
Not stopping, I walk into it and dip beneath the water. I scrub at my body over and over again, as layer upon layer of dirt comes free. When I feel more like myself again, I look down at my clothes. They’re hanging off of me, torn and thin. Like cloth that has been left to rot.
I stand in the water and wait for a long time for the movement to settle enough to see my own reflection. To my relief, I still see myself staring back at me, but something is off. I lean in closer, careful not to disturb the water.
My eyes—there’s a strange red ring around my dark pupils.
And suddenly, I remember. I remember her.
Rage builds inside of me, and I scream into the sky. There was a creature. A monster. She attacked me in the woods. She killed me!
But she was so beautiful. And her bite felt so…
I push the treacherous thoughts to the side. She bespelled me. That could be the only explanation.
And then, my rage dies as quickly as it came. I find myself shivering in the cold water. That creature killed me. So how am I still alive? And why do my eyes look like hers?
I stumble out of the water and onto the shore, where I drop onto the sand. All of this is impossible.
And how is it that my Brotherhood abandoned me?
Leaning down at the edge of the lake, I take several long draws from the water. When my throat no longer aches, I stand and shift into my gargoyle form. Then, not caring how flimsy my clothes might be, I shoot into the sky.
I expect to find the cozy little town my Brotherhood and I had explored when we first came to this area.
I do not. Instead, there is a bright monstrosity that spreads out in all directions beyond the forest. Leaving my glamour in place so that the humans don’t see me, I fly lower and stare, lost in shock.
How much time was I dead?
This place has so many lights and people. The streets are filled with speeding metal creations, and there’s not a horse to be found in any direction. My heart races and races.
What is all of this?
“I haven’t seen you around.”
I jerk, nearly spinning into a building before I right myself. Looking above me, I see a phoenix. He’s a cocky bastard, like all phoenixes. He flies above me in the sky, the light from his fiery wings growing brighter as I stare at him.
“I’m looking for someone,” I say.
He gives me a curious glance. “I thought you gargoyles liked to attack first and ask questions later.”
I glare at him. “Why would I do that?”
He raises a brow. “The whole hating each other thing.” Then he looks down at my clothes. “Oh, I get it, you just woke up from one of those slumbers. You should know that even though we could smash you all in your sleep, we don’t, because phoenixes have a little something called honor.”
“I don’t care about any of that. I’m looking for my brotherhood. Do you know Grey?”
The asshole laughs. “Yeah, no one forgets a fucking gargoyle named Grey. But why are you looking for him? You don’t plan to kill his mate, do you?”
Mate? Grey got a mate without me?
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “If she’s his mate, she’s mine too.”
The phoenix laughs again. “Nah, man, don’t mess with me. Her mates are Grey, Journey, and Ender, and they’re a possessive bunch.”
That’s not right. “No, you’re wrong.”
He rolls his eyes and puts his hands behind his head, his little sword at his belt. “No, I remember them well, and their pretty little harpy mate.”
“A harpy?” I shout the question. “Grey would never choose a monster as his mate. And that’s not our Brotherhood. We—“
Suddenly, the amusement dies from his face.
“Ah, man, I’m sorry. I kind of thought you were messing with me.
I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news or whatever, but I know I’m not wrong.
Grey is that big gargoyle, who has the whole tall, dark, and handsome thing going on, like you.
An angry big guy… unless he’s with his mate.
I definitely know him. And I hate to say it, but it kind of sounds like he’s moved on since you were sleeping. ”
“Brotherhoods are forever,” I say.
But not after death. If we all died, it’s possible Grey joined a different Brotherhood. But then, what does that mean for me? I won’t fuck a harpy. Am I supposed to just force myself into their bond?
Fuck. I don’t have a place to go now.
I don’t have anyone.
If it’s true.
“Look, buddy, how about I help you a little? You don’t seem like the asshole gargoyles I usually run into. Let’s get you some clothes and stuff.”
I shake my head. “No. I have to—“
“What do you have to do?” he asks, raising a brow.
I need to be sure that this phoenix speaks the truth. And then? I need to find the monster who did this to me and get answers.
And revenge.
Maybe it won’t fix anything, but it’ll certainly make me feel better.
The second I think of her, I feel a strange pulling. I look around myself, then off in one direction, and know that that’s the way I’m supposed to go. But why? Is that where she is? Or is that nagging feeling something else?
“You ever had a burger, bro? How about some pizza?”
I frown at him. “Pizza?”
He grins. “Food, man. You need food.”
Now that he mentioned it, I am starving. “Fine, let’s get food.”
“But first,” he says, staring down at me. “Clothes.”
I nod, and he flies in a lazy path across the city. When we reach the back of a building, he lifts his hand and sparks come out. A couple strange things with mirrors fizzle, the red light on them going out. Then he goes to a door. His hand lights up again, and I hear a lock click open.
“This way!”
He takes me through a darkened place until we reach a huge room with clothes in all directions. Strange clothes.
“This shop has the best fucking threads you’ll ever see! Take your pick!”
I feel uneasy as I go around, touching the strange clothes.
At last, he sighs. “Shirts, pants, boxers, shoes, bro. That’s all you need. What’s your size? Like a zillion?”
I stare him.
He laughs, then starts to select things and throw them at me.
It’s awkward when he tells me how it all goes on, but eventually I get myself into clothes that fit.
And, he reassures me, will help me blend into this world.
Once he knows my size, he fills a backpack full of other stuff and shoves it at me.
“So you’ll have something for tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” I say, feeling uncomfortable.
He nods and leads me back out the way we came. When we reach the end of the alley, he snaps his fingers, a little fire dancing between the tips, and I hear locks flick back into place and the red lights come back on.
“Now, let’s teach you about human food, gargoyle, because the stuff they’ve come up with now, damn, it’s good. Want some gold-dusted pizza? Caviar tacos? They got it all!”
“Just food,” I grunt.
Because after I’m done eating, and once I understand a little about this world, I’ve got somewhere to be, and someone to kill. After I’ve seen Grey.