Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
Jack
“Are you sure you don’t want to bring anything with you?” Jack looked over to Aareth as the two men reached Azra’s gate. “I mean, I remember how much you eat.”
“My taste seems to be on the rarer side these days.” Aareth ran a tongue over his teeth. “I’ll grab a bite on the road.”
“That’s kind of cool and disturbing at the same time.” Jack looked Aareth up and down. “When you change, does it hurt?”
“Every time.” Aareth avoided Jack’s line of sight.
Jack let go of the line of questioning. The werewolf and the wizard reached the city entrance.
Already the scene at the gates was vastly different from what Jack had remembered when he’d first arrived at Azra, before there had been a handful of guards patrolling the city’s defenses.
Back then, there had been a large set of wooden double doors that led in and out of the city, and a guardhouse just inside the gate staffed with a pair of Azra guards.
Now, the front of Azra looked like a military bulwark where dozens of guards stood sentry along the walls. Bright torches and braziers lit with flame cast their light on racks of arrows, crates of heavy rocks, and jars of black tar.
Below, the scene was much the same: guards were working overtime to fortify both the city gates and the guardhouse; hammering echoed through the city as they fit steel reinforced pieces onto the city gates.
Jack nodded to them as he passed. They nodded back, though their grim eyes weren’t directed toward the young wizard but to the harrowing future.
Jack and Aareth walked through the city gates, though they hadn’t traveled for more than a few yards when running footsteps could be heard coming from behind.
Aareth’s eyes flashed a menacing yellow before he realized who was chasing them.
“Easy,” Jack said, noticing the change in Aareth’s eyes. “It’s Abigail.”
Abigail came to a halt in front of Jack and Aareth, breathing hard. Her chest heaved up and down in a rhythmic beat.
“Are you okay?” Jack asked, confused. He went to Abigail and placed a hand on her arm. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I know we already said goodbye, but I just wanted to see you one more time.” Abigail straightened, taking in Aareth for the first time. “Thank you for going with him.”
Aareth nodded to Abigail. “I’ll make sure he comes back to you in one piece. I’m going to go pretend to find something interesting to look at down the path. You two take your time.”
Jack and Abigail watched Aareth turn and walk away.
“He’s so different now, isn’t he?” Abigail’s eyes turned to Jack. “Still sad and just as deadly, but different somehow. I’m glad he’s going with you. I mean, I know you can handle yourself, but it’s nice to have a friend. I wish I could go, too?—”
“It’s okay.” Jack lifted Abigail’s chin with his fingertips. “You don’t have to apologize again. Your sister needs you here. Trust me, I wish I could stay.”
“Promise me you’ll be as careful as you can be.” Abigail leaned in close for a kiss. “New Hope soldiers will be traveling this way soon. Don’t get caught in their path.”
“You know me.”
“Yes, that’s why I’m worried.”
Jack grinned and pressed his lips to Abigail’s. The same lightheaded feeling he got when he kissed the woman he loved descended on him now. He pulled away, resting his forehead against her own, her hot breath still warming his lips. “If I don’t go now, I’m not going to want to leave.”
Abigail grinned and playfully pushed him away. “Go and bring your father back.”
“I love you.” Jack smiled as he backpedaled down the path.
“I love you, too,” Abigail responded.
It was nearly impossible leaving her, but Jack knew he would be back. Nothing would keep him from returning to Abigail.
He took a mental picture of her before he turned. She was perfect in every way. Standing there in the last rays of the day’s dying light, she looked like she belonged in a painting.
Jack heaved a heavy sigh and looked down the path for Aareth. He made out Aareth’s large form standing a half-mile down the road, looking out over the dark waves that fell on the Azra shoreline.
As Jack got closer, he realized Aareth wasn’t alone. Another even larger form had come out of the shadows. A winged figure brought back memories of the gargoyle, Cherub, but it wasn’t her voice that reached Jack as he approached.
“The two younglings were saying their farewells when I flew over.” The female gargoyle’s voice was stern and matter-of-fact. “I didn’t want to interrupt their ritual of their flesh saying goodbye to one another.”
“What are you talking about?” Aareth asked the woman. “’Their flesh saying goodbye’? What does that even mean?”
“It’s a common gargoyle custom that when two younglings ripen to maturity, they engage in a fleshly bond of?—”
“I’m just going to stop you right there.” Aareth shook his head. “I don’t want to know about your ancient gargoyle customs. They were just saying goodbye, that’s all.”
Jack cleared his throat so the two would know he was coming.
“Jack, have you met Kimberly yet?” Aareth motioned with a thumb to the gargoyle next to him. “She was ruling Term when we got there.”
“‘Ruling’ is a strong word.” Kimberly extended a hand to Jack.
Jack accepted her firm handshake with a smile he wasn’t sure she would be able to make out through the dark. She was larger than he first thought. Standing directly in front of her, Jack now understood how Elwood must feel in the presence of a human.
“It’s great to meet you.” Jack released Kimberly’s cold hand. “We were just leaving to go track down the werewolves involved in the mage engine battle.”
“Yes.” Kimberly nodded along with Jack’s words. “News travels fast. I’m aware that you believe one of these creatures is your father brought back from the dead. I’ve come to offer my services. I’d like to accompany you two on your quest.”
Jack wasn’t sure what to think. On the one hand, traveling with more members in his company was a good thing for safety, but he didn’t know Kimberly at all, though she looked like she could hold her own in a fight.
Still, memories of misjudging people poked holes in his logic.
He had been wrong when judging numerous people: Queen Eleanor Eckert, Elijah Ahab, Fenrick Trillion, and the list went on and on.
“I can vouch for her, if that helps.” Aareth looked into Jack’s eyes, spotting the uncertainty. “She talks a lot about weird mating rituals, but she’s all right.”
“I’m standing right here, Beastman.” Kimberly folded her arms over her chest. “I can hear everything you’re saying.”
“I trust her if you do,” Jack said to Aareth.
“Yeah, God help me. I guess I do trust her.” With a shake of his head, Aareth blew air out of his mouth. He moved down the path, leaving Jack and Kimberly in his wake. “What has this world come to? I’m traveling with a wizard and a gargoyle, hunting an undead werewolf.”