Born of Stone (10 page)

She jumped to her feet and leapt right off the bed into his arms. He laughed aloud and spun her around.

“Oh, Orestes! I’ve always wanted to see a library.”

He kissed her hard, but it soon turned into a soft melding of their lips. After a moment, he finally pulled back so she could catch her breath.

“Well then, my sweet, I think it’s high time you saw ours. Put on one of your new gowns and we’ll go now. Then I’ll find Wynn and tell him of your new assignment.”

Tears burned her eyes but she valiantly fought them. They always seemed to distress him, even the happy ones. With a nod, she kissed him then slipped from his grip. He let her go slowly. She ran to the wooden crate his brother had delivered just that morning and pulled out one of the beautiful dresses inside. It too had her holding back fresh tears. Could this really be happening to her?

She pulled the soft, silk piece over her head and let it fall down her naked body. With a sigh, she smoothed it into place and spun on her heel to find Orestes watching her. She held out her arms and spun again.

“What do you think?” she asked.

He smiled and closed the distance between them. “Beautiful.”

“Yes, it is. I can’t thank you enough.”

He laughed. “I wasn’t talking about the dress. Though it’s very lovely too.”

A small laugh escaped before she could stop it. She was just so damn happy, it was almost frightening. He moved past her to fish the matching shoes from the crate, and a matching ribbon for her hair. Then he went down on one knee to slip the shoes onto her feet. He handed her the ribbon and she quickly pulled her hair into a braid. He grabbed his last few weapons then turned to her with a small, jewel-encrusted dagger. It was so tiny he could hide it in the palm of his hand.

“I want you to have this, Astrid. Keep it on you at all times, understand?”

“Oh…”

She didn’t know what to say. She’d never owned a weapon before, and this one was beautiful.

“It doesn’t look like much but it’s sharp. If any man tries to touch you in my absence, use it.”

That brought her head up quickly and she frowned at him. “I won’t be leaving the castle unless I’m forced to.”

“Good.” He nodded in approval. “At least two of my brothers will remain here for protection, but just in case. I’d feel better knowing you can defend yourself if needed.”

She wasn’t sure she could wield the weapon but she took it from him anyway. She knew what it was to be a helpless woman and didn’t relish the thought. Her dress had no pockets so she slipped it inside the snug bodice between her breasts. He grinned and nodded his approval once again.

“Perfect. Ready?”

“Yes,” she said.

He took her hand in his as if it was the most natural thing in the world and gently pulled her from the room.

Chapter Seven

Leaving the castle, and more specifically Astrid, was a lot harder than Orestes had expected. For the first time in his long life, he felt apprehension at leaving a woman behind. She was just so small, fragile, and…human. He vaguely wondered how human men could stand to leave their women for more than a single day of work. But they did it all the time and now he must as well. Somewhere out there his brother could be in trouble. He had to find Nel and see with his own eyes Nel still lived. Deep down he was certain he would simply know if that wasn’t the case. But the Twenty could neither confirm nor deny that ability. However, he had always shared a connection with Nel that was stronger than with the others. Right now, his gut told him his brother lived, but there was trouble.

He flew away from the castle swiftly, like ripping off a bandage. Thoughts of Astrid distracted him and he shook his head to clear it. Would it always be this way with her? Why her of all the women he had bedded over the years? She was the most innocent he had ever taken, and the only to sleep in his bed. Perhaps that was why. He felt protective of her after her treatment from Simon. But was that all? With a sigh, he did his best to push her from his thoughts. His strong wings would have him flying to the borders of Halstrid in no time. He had to keep his wits about him.

He watched the changing scenery below him while he flew, enjoying the pointing fingers and expressions of awe on the many human faces he passed. He truly liked the humans and was happy to dedicate his life to protecting them. Part of it surely had to do with the inherent sense of duty the Twenty had created him with, but not all. That thought brought Astrid’s face into his mind once again and he laughed at himself. She was like a fever running though him. One he didn’t care to ever be rid of.

He headed for the border town of Angor. There two of his brothers would meet him after flying in from the western and eastern borders. The Masters’ castle was centrally located in the heart of Halstrid. The King’s castle was farther north as were most of the wizards’ homes. The brothers actually took turns staying in the King’s castle for a month at a time. Orestes still had a few months before it was his turn again.

Could he take Astrid with him?

“Argh!” He shook his head again before laughing at himself. The woman was a sickness all right.

He spotted a trail of movement below within the trees of a small forest. The line of dark shapes was too slow to be animals but a ways from any human village. What were they doing? He found a clearing in the canopy just wide enough for his large frame and landed lightly on his feet. A few of the travelers screamed and fell to their knees. Others simply gaped, but not in a good way. He quickly shed his Gargoyle form to face them as a human man.

“Master! Master, help us, please!”

An elderly man shoved his way through the crowd of gawkers and dropped to his knees before Orestes. He held his hands up to the sky as if in prayer with tears streaming down his dirty face. Orestes grabbed the man’s arms gently and pulled him to his feet.

“I am no god. You need not fall before me so. Tell me what ails you.”

The man wept harder and shook his head, unable to speak. Motion in the crowd drew Orestes’s attention and a young girl ran out to the old man’s side.

“Forgive ’im, sir, please. ’E’s just scared like all of us.”

“And why is he scared? What do any of you have to fear within the realm?”

Murmurs from the crowd answered his question but the young girl looked down at her dirty, bare feet. Orestes was impatient to be off but knew they might have answers he needed.

“Please, tell me what has frightened all of you from your homes. I will do what I can to aid you.”

“That blasted witch and her minotaur!” the old man cried out.

“Minotaur? Here in Halstrid?”

Unfortunately, he knew the creatures were more than myth. He’d even fought them a time or two.

“Oh aye, right here in Halstrid,” the old man said. “Over near Angor and at the border, they was. Big, ugly, foul things. They started burning homes and threatening to take our babes. So we all packed up and ran away, we did.”

Orestes looked around at the group of dirty, frightened faces and saw exhaustion lining them as well. They all nodded in agreement. A tug on his jacket had him looking down at the young girl.

“What is it, sweeting?”

“They killed people too. I think they killed my da.”

Her eyes remained dry but the horrors of what she must have witnessed were plainly written on her small face. Anger boiled up within Orestes and he took a step away from her. With a thought, his body turned to stone and grew by a foot in height and a few inches in width. The crowd gasped and fell back farther.

“They are in Angor now?” he asked.

“Dunno,” the old man said. “We just ran.”

Orestes nodded. “I’ll find them. I’ll try to return to you or send help. Keep traveling to Ilstred. Tell them Master Orestes sends you and expects them to aid you.”

With that, he leapt into the air and once again headed for Angor. He had no worries the people below would find help in Ilstred. As luck would have it, that was the town with his temple at its center. Though he normally didn’t like to be worshipped as a deity, it would come in handy now for the refugees. No citizen of Ilstred would dare defy him.

As he flew away, his thoughts once again turned to Astrid. Seeing the state of the refugees had brought back the image of her as he’d first seen her. He pushed that thought away in favor of her in the peach silk dress she’d worn when he left. The wonder on her face when they entered the library would be forever etched in his memory. He prayed it wouldn’t be the last he’d see of her.

Astrid stretched as high as her limited reach allowed, standing on the tips of her toes. But still, she couldn’t touch the high shelf. It wasn’t even the highest of the shelves in the vast library, just the top of the section she was currently dusting. With a huff of frustration, she turned and eyed the rolling ladder sitting a few feet away. Orestes had shown her how to use it, stressing the need to lock it in place before placing a foot on the lowest rung. She was no idiot. She knew the dangers of such a device. And that was why she had yet to attempt it. To be honest, going so high off the ground terrified her. She wasn’t certain this new job would be worth it.

Then she looked around the library at all the glorious books in her midst. There were thin ones, fat ones, tall ones, short ones. There were books covered in every color of the rainbow and quite a few drab black ones. There were even ancient-looking scrolls locked in a glass case. She was told to wipe the glass down carefully and not to lean on the case at all. She was afraid to get anywhere near it. The wonder of being trusted in this room still hadn’t worn off and she wanted to laugh and cry all over again.

With a sigh, she looked at the ladder again and approached it slowly. Perhaps she could reach from one of the lower rungs rather than going even halfway up? It was certainly worth a try. She kicked up the locking mechanism before setting the ladder in motion, rolling it to where she needed it. Then she carefully put the lock back in place. She tugged on the ladder a couple of times for good measure and was finally satisfied it didn’t plan to move with her on it. She took a deep breath and looked up, duster in one hand while she gathered her courage. With one foot on the bottom rung, she was about to ascend when someone cleared his throat nearby.

“Oh!”

She jumped back and her foot caught on the rung. The duster flew from her hand and clattered somewhere across the room. She would have fallen straight back onto her bottom if a pair of strong hands hadn’t caught her beneath her arms.

“Whoa. Are you all right? I didn’t mean to startle you.”

She stepped away as soon as the strange hands released her and spun around to face her savior.

“Thank you.”

She had to put a hand over her racing heart, but it wasn’t from the near accident alone. The man facing her now was stunning. He smiled with a full set of straight white teeth that looked startling against his tan visage. Thick black hair fell to his shoulders around a thin face. He looked regal, almost feminine, with high cheekbones and a patrician nose. He was too short and thin to be one of the Masters, and she didn’t think she’d ever seen him around the castle before. As if reading her thoughts, he stuck out a hand.

“I’m Albain, one of the Twenty.”

She had already taken his hand when his words finally penetrated her scattered thoughts.

“Oh…forgive me.”

She tried to release his hand so she could bow, or curtsy, or something. But he merely chuckled and held on.

“No need to apologize, and no need for formality either. I’m intruding on you, after all.”

Her face burned in embarrassment at the reminder of her place. She nodded and waited for him to release her hand so she could find her duster. His ready smile faltered but he still held on to her.

“What have I said to embarrass you?” he asked. She simply shook her head and lowered her gaze. “Oh, come now. Surely we can speak as friends? You must be a friend to the Masters. After all, you’re in their home and I know they wouldn’t have missed such a beautiful specimen roaming their halls.”

She swallowed down her apprehension and met his gaze again, though warily.

“I work here.”

One brow rose sharply while he assessed her from head to toe. He took in her fine dress and matching shoes and finally released her hand.

“Do you now?”

“Yes…I was dusting.”

“Dusting.”

“Yes.”

She looked around the room hoping for a way out of this conversation and away from his prying eyes. He was one of the Twenty, one of the King’s own wizards and a very powerful man. He probably could read every single thought in her head. Not to mention he was one of the best looking men she had ever seen. Well…human men at least. His black hair contrasted with light blue eyes that seemed to pierce her every thought.

“I find it interesting the Masters would employ such a lovely woman to dust. But at least the library is one of the better rooms. I’d hate to see you slaving away in the kitchen.”

For some reason, she couldn’t quite trust that smile. She was searching for a response when she was saved by Master Wynnston.

“I fear if we dared put her back in the kitchen, Orestes would have my head,” Wynn said.