Chapter 10 – Elite Edgar
ELITE EDGAR
The gargoyle sanctuary is quiet tonight.
I walk through it with soundless steps, staring up at the sky.
From down here I can just barely make out the shimmering magical barrier that protects and keeps us hidden from the outside world, at least to everyone except those that know it exists.
This place is my legacy. My pride and joy.
When it seemed the days of gargoyles had ended, I had to call in every favor I’d gathered in my immortal life to create it. And it was a challenge to bring so many of our kind here, but it was worth it.
Not only will gargoyles continue to survive, but we’lll thrive. And one day, rule. Because I have secrets. Delicious secrets. And with them, and an army of gargoyles behind me, I’ll be unstoppable.
But the female monsters are a complication. The thought makes me frown. Yes, they have given us hope. Medusa’s twins. Keto’s healthy pregnancy. Through them, we will have a future.
And yet, our future doesn’t include them. Eventually, their use to us will be gone, and it’ll take some creativity to exterminate them without riling the anger of their mates. Already I have a plan on how it can be done to further my cause.
Reaching the largest building in our small town of perhaps a dozen buildings nestled between trees and surrounded by a forest, I push open the large doors.
Inside, my feet sound loud on the stone as I pass the colorful window that depicts a gargoyle crouching on top of a building, overlooking the city he protects.
Going to my throne at the end of the room, I grit my teeth and yank it back. Behind it is a dark passageway.
I light a torch and step into the darkness, pulling the throne back into its place before I keep going. Stairs wind down further and further, and minutes tick by. At last, I step out into a library lit by glowing balls of magic.
Legacy already waits for me. He’s an old gargoyle, older perhaps than me, with long blond hair, a youthful face, and a stern expression. I hate that he’s taller than me, because it further adds to my feeling that he’s always looking down on me.
“We need to talk,” I tell him.
He raises an arrogant brow. “I assumed that’s why you were here.”
My teeth clench together. “You know I sent a brotherhood to kill the harpy, Celaeno.”
He frowns. “And here I thought you planned to use the female monsters for breeding purposes.”
I hate that he knows my thoughts. “Some of the monsters will help create the future I imagine, and some will not.”
It has been seen—Celaeno will take gargoyles from our flock, not add to them. And so, she’s not only useless to me, she is dangerous to my plans. Which is something I can’t allow.
“So what is it that you need from me?” Legacy asks, crossing his arms.
“What I always need.” My voice takes on an edge. “More information.”
He stares at me for a long minute where the room filled with shelves of books seems darker and quieter. His hazel eyes have locked onto mine, and I know that he wants to refuse me. He must, by now, know what kind of future I imagine, and I don’t think he likes it.
But as a Keeper of Knowledge he’s sworn his allegiance to the Elites, and so, he must obey me.
“What information do you need?”
I keep my face carefully blank. “I want to know the best way to exterminate the female monsters and still keep peace amongst the gargoyles.”
His brow rises. “The babes need their mothers.”
“For now.”
His mouth pulls into a thin line. “There is also information about these women who have been labeled monsters. We have their true histories. We have hidden accounts of moments where they were blamed as being cruel. We have—“
I hold up a hand. “I don’t need any of that. I need what I came here for.”
Legacy gives a curt nod. “Then I’ll do what you’ve asked. I’ll consult the books and bring you answers.”
“Very good.”
I turn and start back up the steps, grinning. If I find a good solution, then I can send more and more gargoyles to capture female monsters. I can continue to use Galena’s Sight, her ability to see the future, to determine the Brotherhoods best suited for the female in question.
Never before had I imagined I would play matchmaker between gargoyles and monsters, but knowing the future has its benefits.
The children from these couplings will be special. If I can exterminate their mothers at the right time, and keep their fathers occupied with an enemy, I can shape their young minds. I can turn them into the perfect army.
But only if I know this last piece of the puzzle.
I can’t risk bringing in more female monsters if I also don’t know how to rid us of them when their use is done. Already, I suspect we need a powerful enemy to blame their murders on. But who?
The Phoenixes are a natural choice, but the monsters could be as well. Or even the gods.
There are so many possibilities, and Galena will not use her Sight in any way that involves hurting the female monsters. I can lie to get some information, but not what I need now. So I must rely on information and my own intelligence in this matter.
And if history is any indicator, this will be yet another thing that I succeed in.
No matter how many lives have to be sacrificed for the greater good.