Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Ellery
“Be extra careful,” I cautioned. “This could be far worse than we anticipated.”
Indon studied the cave entrance. I suspected he was communicating my words to the other gargoyles before he shifted his attention back to me and nodded.
I edged forward again, creeping through the fog and around the boulders at the entrance of the dungeon. Once the opening came into view, so did the flicker of torchlight and the two guards standing there.
When our eyes met, shock widened theirs.
As they opened their mouths to shout a warning, Indon surged forward on a rush of air that rocked me a little.
The opening wasn’t big enough for him to unfurl his wings, but he didn’t need to as he moved faster than a horse fleeing its most feared nemesis… a puddle.
The guards, too petrified to move, stood there sputtering gibberish. One of their swords fell from their hand and clattered against the stone.
That sound snapped the man out of his paralysis. He spun to flee, but before he made it two steps, Indon seized his neck and jerked him back. The man’s feet flew out in front of him as Indon grasped the top of his head and spun it around.
I recoiled when the man’s horrified eyes met mine before they rolled back in his head. The other guard finally found his survival instinct and sprinted toward us.
He didn’t make it five feet before Indon tore off the other fighter’s head and heaved it at the fleeing man’s back. The impact caused a humph of air to explode out of the man’s lungs as he was flung forward and sprawled across the rocky ground.
Another gargoyle stepped up and freed the man’s head from his shoulders with a swipe of his claws. It rolled toward us before stopping a few feet away.
When Ianto sucked in a breath, I glanced up at the giant who gazed apprehensively back at me. I didn’t have to read minds to know he was thinking I’d made a big mistake by freeing them.
And maybe he was right, but it was too late to change it. I couldn’t put this genie back in the bottle; I could only hope it was a benevolent wish-granter. I believed the gargoyles did possess a kind soul and sought to help us.
They were just terrifying.
I squeezed Ianto’s arm before hurrying over to Indon, who stood hunched over in the shadows. The soft, leather soles of my boots didn’t make a sound against the rocky floor, but the gargoyles’ claws were an entirely different matter.
I stopped beside Indon and beckoned him closer. “We should go ahead,” I whispered. “The passage is too narrow for you to fly through, and your claws will give our approach away. If we get into trouble, you’ll hear it.”
“There will be more guards,” he said.
“I have my lightning, and everyone is armed. If you come with us, they’ll know we’re here and prepare better for us.”
No one could prepare for the gargoyles. However, the soldiers could use children and Ryker as a barrier against us if they knew we were coming.
“Guard the entrance to the tunnel,” I told him. “Hopefully, we’ll be back soon.”
Indon studied the shadows ahead, and I was sure he spoke with the other gargoyles before bowing his head in acquiescence. “Be careful, child.”
“You as well.”
I gestured for Ianto and those closest to follow me, but much of our group remained outside the cave.