CH. 56 Gargoyles Should Not Be Cardio
Branches whip my face.
My lungs burn.
My blood — the cursed, flickering fire-blood — sizzles where it spills, leaving glowing drops on the forest floor.
Andromeda is supposed to be ethereal, a vision of beauty, grace, elegance.
Instead I am sprinting through the dark forest like a banshee wearing perfume.
Behind me, the gargoyle barrels forward, roaring, drooling molten spit, and apparently VERY committed to turning me into a snack.
“I HATE TODAY!” I shriek as I break through the treeline.
“I HATE EVERYTHING!!”
The palace wall rises ahead like a lifeline.
Guards turn, startled — several drop their weapons when they see me.
I forget how terrifying “beauty” can be to men with poorly managed heart conditions.
“Hegar!!” I scream, sprinting for the entrance.
“HeGAAAR!! A gargoyle is trying to eat me AGAIN!!”
A door slams open.
Hegar stumbles out, hair tangled, staff in hand, looking halfway between asleep and offended.
“Who—What—Drew?!”
I grab his sleeve dramatically.
“I’m Andromeda right now, but yes, IT’S ME, SAVE ME!”
The gargoyle bursts into the courtyard with a roar that rattles the teeth of every guard present.
A few faint on the spot.
Hegar’s eyes widen. “Why is that here?!”
“ASK THE WITCH WHO SENT IT!” I yell.
Hegar plants his feet, slams his staff into the ground, and unleashes a violet shockwave.
It hits the gargoyle—
but the beast barely stumbles.
“That’s—” Hegar gasps, “—much stronger than the usual ones.”
“You THINK?!” I screech.
And then a dark shadow cuts between us.
Sword drawn.
Steps silent.
Eyes blazing.
Prince Sorien.
He arrives like wrath incarnate.
“What happened?” he demands, stepping in front of me on instinct.
I point at the gargoyle.
“It wants to EAT ME!”
Sorien’s jaw tightens.
“…What?”
“It chased me from the forest!”
He whips toward the monster.
His voice drops to a deadly growl.
“You picked the wrong prey.”
The gargoyle charges.
Sorien meets it mid-stride.
Steel clashes against stone.
Sparks explode in the air.
The courtyard trembles beneath the impact.
Hegar follows with bolts of violet fire.
Guards rush forward but Sorien signals them back.
I stand frozen — partly terrified, partly mesmerized, partly aware that yes, being stunningly beautiful in a life-or-death situation is very confusing emotionally.
The gargoyle lunges again.
Sorien twists, striking its shoulder, forcing it to stagger.
Hegar shouts a spell and binds its leg in glowing chains — momentarily.
The gargoyle snaps them like twine.
“Why are they getting STRONGER?!” I yell.
“GOOD QUESTION, NOT THE TIME!” Hegar shouts back.
Sorien pushes me behind him again, sword raised.
He doesn’t even look — he just knows where I am.
And then—
The gargoyle swings.
Sorien blocks.
The shockwave flings us apart.
I skid across the stone, landing hard.
My arm scrapes — glowing blood splatters the ground.
It sizzles.
Burns.
Hisses.
Sorien freezes.
“…your blood.”
“I KNOW,” I snap, clutching my arm. “It’s new. I hate it.”
The gargoyle lunges again.
“HEGAR!” Sorien shouts.
“For the record,” Hegar yells back, “this is above my pay grade!”
But together, they act in perfect sync:
Hegar grips the gargoyle with a binding spell.
Sorien leaps, sword flashing in an arc of silver fire.
The blade strikes the gargoyle’s throat.
Stone cracks.
The entire creature collapses — crumbling into rubble, smoke, and molten dust.
Silence falls.
Sorien steps toward me slowly, eyes fixed on the glowing blood dripping down my arm.
“…Andromeda,” he breathes, “you’re hurt.”
I open my mouth to answer—
But the world freezes.
Because from far beyond the courtyard walls, a cold voice echoes:
“Found you.”
Ice slides through my veins.
It’s her.
The witch.
The one who cursed me.
And she’s coming.
Sorien stiffens. “Who was that?”
Hegar’s face drains of color. “What exactly followed you here?”
My heart hammers.
“I think,” I whisper, “my curse just found me.”