Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Luke should have known Gomez would take one look at him and know way too much.
His friend remained propped beneath the flowering tree, surrounded by pillows, breakfast dishes, and enough pixies to defend a small country.
Avaneel sat beside his hip while two others wove ribbons through the branches overhead.
Cosmo was no longer in the chair beside the bed.
He’d probably returned to the king while Luke and Connal bathed.
Luke and Connal both put on clean clothes before coming back.
Luke had pulled on jeans and a dark shirt from his backpack, transferred the drive from the bathing chamber shelf to the small watch pocket at the front of his jeans, and left the bag beside Connal’s chair.
Connal had exchanged his rumpled clothing for a fresh tunic and dark trousers.
Gomez watched Luke enter. His gaze moved over Luke’s damp hair before sliding to Connal, who followed close behind him.
Then it returned to Luke.
“Oh,” Gomez said.
Luke stopped beside the bed. “How do you feel?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“I asked first.”
“So it’s just a coincidence that you both somehow have matching wet hair.”
Luke resisted the urge to look at Connal. “I…we…I…took a bath.”
“Together?”
Connal stepped up beside him. The warmth of his body settled along Luke’s side without quite becoming contact.
Gomez’s eyebrows climbed. “Okay. That answered that.”
“It answered nothing,” Luke said.
“Well, your face answered several follow-up questions.”
“My face isn’t doing anything.”
“Your face is trying very hard not to do anything. There’s a difference.”
Luke reached for the water beside the bed and handed it to him. “Drink.”
Gomez accepted the glass. “Bossy. Glowing. Slightly rumpled. I’m building a compelling case.”
“I’m not glowing.”
One of the pixies flew closer to inspect Luke’s face. “A little.”
“Thank you, Fizzwick,” Gomez said. “You’re my current favorite.”
Luke gave the pixie a look. He darted back toward the tree, giggling.
Behind him, Connal made a sound suspiciously close to amusement.
Luke turned. “You’re enjoying this.”
“Yes.”
At least he was honest.
Heat rose beneath Luke’s skin as memories of the bathing chamber flooded his mind. He had spent years learning to keep his reactions from showing, yet Connal and Gomez had apparently destroyed that skill between them in less than a day.
Gomez took a long drink, watching Luke over the rim of the glass. When he lowered it, some of the teasing left his expression. “Seriously,” he said. “Are you okay?”
The question reached deeper than the teasing had.
Luke glanced at Connal. Nothing about the last hour had resolved the threat surrounding the drive or answered what the bond would eventually demand from either of them. Luke still had decisions to make that he wasn’t prepared to examine.
But Connal had listened and let Luke set the pace. That mattered.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” Luke said.
Gomez studied him before nodding. “Good.”
Luke took the empty glass and returned it to the table. “Now answer my question.”
“I feel like someone repaired my bones and forgot the part where the rest of me should have energy.” Gomez shifted against the pillows. “But nothing hurts. The healer said the weakness will pass.”
“And you’ve eaten?”
Every pixie in the room began talking at once.
Gomez lifted both hands. “I’ve eaten. Repeatedly. With exceptional supervision.”
Avaneel patted his arm. “He needs another pastry.”
“I always need another pastry.”
Luke checked the color in Gomez’s face and the steadiness of his breathing.
Both had improved since the night before.
Luke could still see the weakness in the subtle dimness behind Gomez’s eyes, but Gomez was safe and surrounded by creatures who seemed prepared to wage war against anyone who interfered with his recovery.
Some of Luke’s worry finally eased.
Then movement along the far wall caught his eye.
Three stone figures stood between the flowering vines. They were positioned several feet apart, each facing into the chamber with folded wings and clawed hands resting against powerful thighs.
They had not been there when Luke checked on Gomez earlier that morning. He would have noticed them.
Luke went still.
Gomez followed his gaze. “Those are new, right?”
“Not new,” Connal said behind him. “They arrived while we were occupied.”
Gomez immediately looked from the statues to Luke. “Occu—”
“Not one word,” Luke warned.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You were about to.”
Gomez grinned. “I was about to ask why three large rocks appeared in my bedroom while no one was watching, that’s all.”
“Sure, you were,” Luke said.
The statue on the left moved.
Luke stepped between it and the bed before the scrape of stone had faded. Connal caught his arm but did not pull him back.
“They are not a threat.”
“That one moved.”
“They are capable of movement.”
The stone statue stepped away from the wall, enormous wings still folded behind him. Stone shifted against stone with a low grinding sound as he straightened.
Gomez recoiled into his pillows. “Nope. Absolutely not. I saw that.”
“You were intended to,” Connal said.
“That does not make it better.”
The second statue turned his head toward Gomez.
“Luke,” Gomez said carefully, “please tell me I’m not being watched by haunted architecture.”
“They are gargoyles,” Connal said. “They serve the king.”
“Those are gargoyles?” Gomez gasped.
“Yes.” Connal glanced at Luke, clearly wondering why Gomez sounded so surprised. Luke must have looked equally stunned, because Connal’s brow furrowed.
“And you waited until now to mention that some of the castle guards turn into giant stone creatures?”
Luke let Gomez continue the interrogation while he looked more closely at the first gargoyle.
The shape of his face was different in stone, but the broad shoulders and heavy build were familiar.
He had seen all three of them in the castle the night before, moving through the corridors in forms that looked far closer to human.
“They were guards,” Luke said.
“They remain guards,” Connal replied.
“I thought they were rocks,” Gomez said, his voice only slightly squeaky. The pixies gathered around him, concerned about his heart rate or something. They petted him and offered him more pastries while Luke continued to process what he was seeing.
“They were resting while we greeted each other,” Connal explained.
Gomez pointed at the gargoyles. “This is how they rest?”
“Yes.”
“By standing against the wall and pretending to be decorations?”
The first gargoyle frowned. “We do not pretend.”
Gomez gasped and reached for a pastry while he stared at the gargoyle. “The rock talks.”
“He does,” the second gargoyle said.
“Oh, good. Both rocks talk.”
The third remained silent, his gaze fixed on Gomez.
Gomez slowly pointed toward him. “That one is judging me.”
“He is assessing you,” the first gargoyle corrected.
“That’s just judgment with better branding.”
Luke’s mouth twitched.
Connal gestured toward each gargoyle. “Igneous. Balthazar. Fred.”
Gomez blinked and put the pastry back on the plate. “I’m sorry. What was the last one?”
Connal looked extremely confused. Luke couldn’t blame him.
“Fred.”
“You have gargoyles named Igneous, Balthazar, and Fred.”
The silent gargoyle tilted his head.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with Fred,” Gomez said quickly. “Fred is an excellent name. Unexpected, but excellent.”
Fred continued to stare.
“See?” Gomez whispered to Luke. “Judgment.”
“He finds you interesting,” Balthazar said.
Gomez sat a little straighter. “Really?”
Fred blinked once.
“I like Fred.”
Avaneel, who had been watching from Gomez’s shoulder, planted her hands on her hips. “You like me.”
“No, I adore you. Fred and I are exploring a separate friendship.”
Fred blinked again.
Luke gave up trying not to smile.
Connal did not appear equally distracted. He turned to Igneous. “Cosmo said Silenus sent you to examine the warehouse.”
“We have returned,” Igneous confirmed.
“What did you find?”
“Enough magical residue remained for us to determine how the structure functioned,” Balthazar said. “The king has ordered us to give our full account before the council.”
“Can you identify who created it?” Luke asked.
“No,” Igneous said. “But the structure reveals what it was intended to contain.”
Connal’s hand tightened slightly around Luke’s arm.
“Why are you here instead of with Silenus?” Connal asked.
“We were ordered to report our return to you and remain near the humans until the council assembled,” Balthazar said. “You were unavailable.”
Gomez looked pointedly at Luke’s damp hair.
Luke glared at him.
“I remain silent,” Gomez said. “Heroically.”
The gargoyles returned to their positions against the wall.
Gomez watched in fascination as Igneous and Balthazar folded their wings. Fred remained facing the bed for another moment before turning.
“Wait,” Gomez said. “You’re staying in here?”
“We were ordered to protect you,” Igneous replied.
“By pretending to be statues.”
“We do not pretend,” Igneous repeated.
“Right. Sorry. By resting aggressively.”
Balthazar’s mouth twitched.
Gomez caught it. “He almost smiled. Luke, did you see that?”
“I saw.”
“I’m winning them over.”
“You’ve known them for three minutes.”
“And already Fred finds me interesting.”
Fred settled into place and went completely still.
Gomez leaned toward Luke. “Do you think he can still hear me?”
“Yes,” Igneous said.
“Fantastic.” Gomez relaxed against his pillows. “I’ve always wanted sentient architecture with excellent abs.”
Connal closed his eyes briefly.
Luke looked toward the gargoyles again. They had returned with information about the warehouse and instructions to protect both humans until Silenus called them to council. Their presence wasn’t a warning that another attack was imminent.
It was proof that the king had kept his word and begun looking for answers.
Connal released Luke’s arm. “Wait in the corridor. We will follow when the king sends for us.”
Igneous and Balthazar stepped away from the wall. Fred remained where he was.