Chapter 26 Ice Cream and Cheese
Ice Cream and Cheese
We spent the rest of the hostage situation in comfortable silence. There were many things I would have asked him, had we not had company.
Karim often cocked his head to listen for trouble, while I enjoyed the natural sounds of the forest and the view of the night sky. My first night outdoors in months. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed stargazing.
It wasn’t long before a familiar whistling sound reached my ears. I pushed to my feet nearly at the same time as Karim. King Xaniban and his Queen were back. That was fast!
Sue wore a triumphant smile as she walked beside that towering gargoyle, their hands clasped and his wing shielding her back. I saw her look up at him, their eyes meeting. He gave her a lopsided grin, which left one sharp canine exposed.
The negotiations must have gone well. Thank heavens.
The King flapped his wings once as he neared our spot. After our guards replied with a flap of their own, they stepped away from us.
Sue and I exchanged excited looks from our respective positions next to our males, who stood facing each other at a smaller distance than earlier tonight.
“Can I officially call you an ally, King Xaniban?”
“Certainly, Prince Karim,” the gargoyle rumbled. “We are allies in blood and writing. My mate and I thank you for the hospitality. I look forward to fighting the moon-cursed by your side, my sword next to your bow.”
Karim put a hand on his chest and bowed his head. “Likewise.”
“Can I get my hug now?” Sue butted in, shooting him a challenging look.
The corners of his lips twitched before he nodded.
It was the King’s hand still holding hers that stopped my friend from reaching me. “Animar. I will literally be two steps away from you.”
He grumbled but let her go, patting her ass with his tail in the process. “Two steps only.”
Sue and I ran into each other’s arms for a hug so strong it left us wheezing. We hadn’t been best friends in university, but in the reality we found ourselves in, we sure were now. I didn’t want to let her go.
“Why don’t you royal highnesses have a chat over there?” Sue suggested boldly as we pulled back from our hug to swipe away the happy tears. “Give us some illusion of privacy, perhaps?”
After Karim took the advice, the King reluctantly stepped to the side with him. The other gargoyles moved closer, though, without having been ordered to.
“Your guy seems a tad overprotective?” I whispered. I knew that even a hush-hush conversation couldn’t remain private with those around us having super hearing, but I wouldn’t make things easy for the eavesdroppers.
Sue laughed. “Overprotective is an understatement. But it’s not his fault; it’s the mate bond we share. I go crazy myself when he’s away for long.”
The look I gave her made her snicker. “I know what you’re thinking: what is this mate crap? Has Sue lost it after the apocalypses? Believe me, I was there myself. But two days with Xan, and I knew he was it for me, whatever you wish to call this bond between us.”
“O-kay… I guess? You certainly look well.”
“As well as a turkey being stuffed for Thanksgiving, you mean. I wish I could blame Xan for overfeeding me, but the fault is mostly mine. Can you imagine: we have cakes and ice cream on our homecloud–make that a kingdom on a cloud. Literally. Oh, and there are strawberries and mangoes, too.” She moved closer to whisper in my ear conspiratorially, “And cheese.”
I giggled. My mouth did water at the thought of some sweets as well as dairy products, which I allowed myself to eat as a vegetarian before civilization’s fall.
Given how elves were zealously vegan, I doubted I would get to eat any cheesy goodness here.
Still, I knew Karim and his half-human friends consumed eggs in secret, because Deidre had wondered whether to eat his apples or the single egg in his kitchen.
So, there was hope; definitely a topic worth discussing with him.
I glanced his way and saw him chatting with the King.
Sue followed the direction of my gaze. “You can come up, you know. To visit our palace in the sky.” I had to strain to hear her whispered, “And stay.”
Oh. I had never considered Sue as my potential ticket away from here. Not even when Karim had shared his idea of sending women to the gargoyles. Was that why there had been sadness in his eyes when I’d eventually approved of the idea? Had he thought I would leave with the others?
I hadn’t thought of myself as a candidate for a single moment. And now when I tried to imagine leaving this place, never to see Karim again, a painful knot formed in my chest.
Therein lay my answer. I wanted to stay. For Karim, for the other humans here who I believed I could help. Yes.
I gave Sue a slight shake of my head.
Speaking normally this time, she said, “I see you are well fed and dressed, and in royal company. It appears you are in good hands.”
“It truly is so.”
Her smile faltered a bit, and she guided me a step further from the royals. A gargoyle moved along with us. Sue shot him a reprimanding look. “Fingor, get your tail out of the way, will you?”
He flapped his wings and obediently returned to his previous spot.
The next thing I knew, Sue was hugging me and whispering in my ear.
“Don’t be afraid, I can get you out of here!
I know you’re a prisoner like the other humans, just dressed up for the sake of appearances.
The trade deal is how we’ll do it, no violations of the alliance.
I will ask for your release specifically.
In exchange, we’ll give them extra mangoes and hope the bastards overdose on fruit sugar. ”
“Sue, it’s not like that.” I peeked at Karim again, who looked focused on his conversation with Xaniban. “I’m with the Prince.”
She pulled back to stare at me. Then she came back for another portion of conspiratorial whispering masked as hugging.
“You can’t be serious. These are elves we’re talking about: they hate us for destroying the environment and find us disgusting for eating meat.
They would have killed me in this very forest shortly after the second apocalypse, had the sunrise not screwed up their aim. ”
It was my turn to be shocked. She’d survived something like that and was still attending these negotiations? “Why did you come tonight?”
“To show them the middle finger, duh! As well as that humans are brave enough to face their fears and fight for this world.”
It was my turn to pull back and give her a funny look. “And yet you trust them enough to ally with them?”
Sue shrugged. “We don’t exactly have many potential allies to choose from, do we?
The other shadow kinds and the aliens want us for food or reproduction.
This is how we humans fight back. I have a plan, Jasmine.
” She added in a whisper from behind her palm, “An unhinged plan, mind you, but Xan and I already have the support of the gargoyles on ours and several other homeclouds.”
Sue hesitated a bit, then hugged me once again and said in my ear, “It is safe up there, amid the clouds. We’re away from the dangers on the ground. There’s no food and water rationing, just freedom and sunshine. And no one expects you to shave your body hair. Ever.”
I laughed. Now that was a huge advantage.
“It sounds amazing, but…” My gaze sought Karim again.
“Ahh. Like that, is it?” Sue regarded me with an inquisitive smile.
I bit my lip and nodded.
“Holy crap. I mean, I’m not one to judge–you’ve seen the company I’m keeping these days.” She herself cast a look at Karim over her shoulder. “You sure about whatever this thing between you is?”
A nervous laugh escaped me. “Have I ever been sure about anything?”
“If a plant were involved, I would say yes. But since we’re dealing with a specimen of an entirely different type…
” Sue squeezed my hand and smiled in a way that said she thought me nuts but would support me nevertheless.
“If you reconsider, tell me. We’ll be flying down in a week or so for the first official trade exchange. In the meantime, think about it.”
“I will,” I assured her, then hugged her again, non-conspiratorially this time. “Thank you, Sue.”
“Do think about it–ice cream and cheese, Jasmine.”
We both laughed, and I had to wipe off a stray tear. Sue was coming back, and yet these days, you never knew what tomorrow would bring. But I had to believe that we’d been brought together for a reason.
The whoosh of large wings turned our attention toward the clearing. Our guys were headed our way, and Sue’s mate looked restless. Karim was calm and collected, as regal as required, but his appreciative gaze was all for me. A shiver of anticipation ran through me.
Sue gave me one last hand squeeze before she went to stand by the King.
He had his tail around her waist to tug her under his wing before she could reach him.
“So far away from me, anima, and yet you are enjoying yourself,” he admonished with a teasing tone.
“I am jealous and wish to take you home.”
She smirked and patted his impressive six-pack. “Likewise, animar.” Meanwhile, her eyes followed Karim’s every move as the two of us reunited.
Given how he hadn’t touched me a single time tonight, I could see why Sue wasn’t buying us being truly together.
I could only hope she’d caught the way he looked at me, because that was where his affection shone through.
I now knew not to worry about her being with the gargoyles, and wanted her not to worry about me.
“No, little blessing, my wish is different from yours,” the King said in a serious tone. “I hunger for a taste of the jungle.”
Huh? I looked at Sue, whose flushed face made it clear this was no literal jungle but something rather naughty. The tips of my ears began to burn at the possible interpretations. Gargoyles might turn out to be as shameless as elves were prudish.
I glanced up at Karim. Of course, no blush went unnoticed by my Prince. The amusement was clear to see in his eyes, and I bit my lip to stifle a giggle.
I caught Sue looking from him to me and back before smiling knowingly.
“It is time to part ways,” Karim announced, refocusing on our guests. “Let us make sure all our people are accounted for, and then we can each return home.”
“I shall check with my scouts,” the King noted. Sue immediately covered her ears, just before he produced a high-pitched sound.
My ears were left ringing by that loud call, which is why I didn’t hear the sound Karim produced on his part. I saw him put his hands on both sides of his mouth, nearly blocking his lips from view. It reminded me of what hunters did when they were imitating bird calls.
My ears recovered in time for the responding calls: whistles, bird sounds, and loud growls from various locations, including high over our heads. Silence fell afterward, but both Karim and Xaniban kept listening, this time with their eyes closed.
“One warrior missing.” The King sounded perplexed, the thick-looking skin over the bridge of his nose bunched. “Ris?”
The other gargoyles flapped their wings in what I’d concluded was their version of a nod.
“I’m missing one of mine, too.” Concern seeped into Karim’s steady voice. “The eastern border guard.”
“That’s the team Ris was assigned to, my liege,” one of the gargoyles told his leader.
Karim tensed up next to me. “I shall send one of my warriors there immediately.” He followed those words with two bird-like calls.
What is going on?
In mere seconds, no other than Tisvali came running our way, appearing among the trees seemingly out of nowhere.
“Prince Karim, let one of my warriors accompany him,” the King suggested. “They will get there faster by air.”
Karim nodded his agreement.
“Saxan, you go. Find Ris.”
“Tis,” Karim turned to his friend already next to us, “this warrior here will fly you to the eastern border.”
Tisvali, barely out of breath from the fast run, failed to mask his shock at the idea of being carried by a gargoyle.
I was the one shocked next when Karim told Tisvali who the missing elf was.
Deidre.