Chapter 26 Merrick
Chapter twenty-six
Merrick
Merrick glanced around as they landed on a red-bricked walkway, the roaring in his ears dimmed from the travel.
Taking in his surroundings, he could not for the life of him figure out the city in which they now resided.
Chalking it up to the disorienting trip, he grumbled a curse under his breath.
He hated waning–flying was his preferred method of getting around, but even Laurent’s portals were less brutal than these jumps through space.
Lenna and Laurent released Esmeray the moment their feet touched down. The Oracle was doubled over, heaving as if she might throw up. Laurent halfheartedly patted her back before sliding a few feet away. Merrick knew it was to make sure no puke splattered his new robe.
“You get used to it–the waning.” Esmeray looked apologetic as she tilted her horned head down to kick a piece of mulch off the bricks and back into its bed. “The first few times I waned, I almost passed out I was so nauseous.”
“Goody,” Lenna grumbled flatly, finally straightening to take in the sights, her hands on her hips and a worn, pinched, expression on her face.
They were in the middle of a circular courtyard, ringed with a low iron fence partially covered with vines that shot out orange and yellow fire flowers, vibrant plants that absorbed the sun’s rays during the day, making them glow brightly at night.
A smattering of bird baths and feeders chaotically stuck out between dense bushes.
In the center, a granite fountain of a dragon wrapped around a rose dribbled a faint stream of water from the beast’s outstretched mouth to a filigreed basin.
A path led from the fountain to a three-story yellow house with a pink front door.
Stained glass windows adorned the cozy looking home, all portraying the theme of various birds and plants.
Lenna whispered a soft woah. Around them, more colorful houses lined the street. Some inhabitants were outside, working in their respective gardens, and a few gargoyles lay on various flat perches of their own homes, lounging in the moonlight.
Across the street, a gargoyle sprawled out on his second story roof cracked an eye open and waved to Esmeray, who gave the male a smile as she returned the gesture.
“See?” she bit out, the venom directed at Merrick, “Not everyone hates me.”
“You live…here?” Merrick asked the Queen skeptically. It wasn’t what he expected. This was a neighborhood for gods’ sake.
With neighbors who weren’t screaming and running away as she appeared.
“Not by myself,” she answered cryptically as she turned on her heel from the garden and hopped up the front steps, black wings flaring out behind her.
She barely crossed the last step as the door swung open and a shrill screech filled the courtyard.
Merrick sucked in a breath at the fae that appeared in the doorway.
She was the most beautiful female he ever lay eyes on.
Golden blonde hair tumbled down past her shoulders, some locks swept into thin braids with pink flowers delicately placed between the strands.
Her skin was the color of spring, a light tan that made her hair shine.
Brilliant aquamarine eyes sparkled as she beheld Esmeray, and the slender cheekbones in her face only made her look more ethereal.
The female’s left arm looked as if it had been delicately dipped in black paint, the tattoo starting at the tips of her fingers and traveling up to her elbow before ebbing away, revealing more of that luscious, tanned skin on her upper arm.
The female threw her arms around Esmeray, who, to Merrick’s chagrin, fiercely hugged the fae right back.
Merrick dumbly opened his mouth to introduce himself, as if he would just shout his name at her, when Laurent effortlessly slid past him and took the first two steps up to the front door. As he got to the top, he bowed deep to the female and asked for her name.
Merrick rolled his eyes.
Great. They were going to fight over this one.
He could already tell.
“Sparrow,” the fae said a bit breathlessly, a faint flush creeping up her face. “My name is Sparrow.”
The name clanged through Merrick, the most enchanting name he’d ever heard. Gods, he was in trouble.
Esmeray cleared her throat, breaking Merrick’s trance before his inner thoughts got too scandalous. “Sparrow, meet Merrick and Laurent–and Lenna, the Oracle.”
Sparrow’s blue eyes danced over each of them as Esmeray rounded off introductions.
It was a bit awkward seeing as Merrick tried to kill her an hour ago.
He almost touched his ring to ask Laurent if he knew what the actual fuck was going on but remembered Esmeray held Keerian’s ring and would also hear what he was saying.
That would be annoying.
Lenna clambered up the steps to shake Sparrow’s hand, still half out of breath from waning, and Sparrow bowed to her–which made Lenna extremely uncomfortable by the shift in her body language.
“Oracle.” Sparrow reverently squeezed Lenna’s hand.
“Thank you so much for coming. It means the world to Esmeray.” Struck silent by the customary welcome she had yet to truly experience, Lenna let out a squeaky ‘thank you’ before shooting a warning glance at Merrick–he was the only one who had yet to move from their arrival point in Sparrow’s garden.
“Let’s get inside, we have lot to discuss,” Esmeray said with a pointed look at the female. Sparrow rolled her big blue eyes before grabbing the Queen’s hand and half dragging her through the threshold, gesturing for them to follow her.
Merrick looked from Lenna to Laurent who were both still warily standing on the small front porch. “Well, fuck, this will be interesting,” he ground out as he stalked towards the bright pink door and the uncertainty beyond.