Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
He snarled, trying to snap his wings out. The pain of the movement stopped him short, and I grabbed one of the dislocated areas and ripped again, pulling his wing apart in that area. The orange dripped now, pouring onto the ground. His grunt was anguished. He was scared, maybe. There were limits to a gargoyle’s healing ability. Too much damage to a wing would be forever. He probably feared I wouldn’t play doctor when this was through.
I preyed on that fear. Made him desperate. Wild.
His spin was blindingly fast. His wing thwapped me in the face. He reached forward for my throat, and I had the inkling that he would squeeze and fling, taking this fight to the place he was most comfortable—the air.
Usually I’d battle him anywhere he wanted. This was a challenge I was enjoying. A fun romp. A game between gargoyles. But right now I had a dinner party to get to, so I had to end things quick.
I decided to hit him with a spell I’d only studied on a conceptual level. It was designed to confuse the mind while slashing at the body, inside and out. It didn’t hit all at once, though. It started slow and grew, little by little, giving the enemy false confidence.
Then you slammed home the tearjerker and made them wail.
In theory.
I’d never had anyone to try it on. It was at the top of my power scale and old magic, like this gargoyle seemed to naturally defend himself against. We’d see if he could temper its effects a little. If not, I would stop before I hit him with the final strike.
He reached for me as the first wave of the spell hit and jerked, his hand going too far right, missing me. His large gargoyle brow creased and he shook his head, grunting.
Each grunt of his was like a small victory.
I fed it more power, more and more, increasing the pain. The confusion. He staggered now, trying to find a sense of balance.
I ran at him, clawing at his wings. His eyes. Slashing at him with smaller spells that could operate while this one was winding up.
His roar was tortured now. Frustrated. Angry beyond all belief.
He stomped. Swung wildly. Thrashed.
A claw nicked me again. Another scraped down my arm, plunging deep. The pain shocked into me. I staggered but quickly got to work healing it up and stopping the blood flow.
Breathing hard, he endured the first portion of the spell, probably thinking it would be over soon. According to the book I’d studied, most creatures didn’t even make it this far.
I slammed him with the final piece, pouring all my power into it. A crap-ton of energy. I needed to make him submit. Fueled by instinct, I knew dropping him would be important in the long run. I knew winning this, and winning it hard, would garner me respect with this fierce and powerful gargoyle-monster.
His wail reverberated across the roof. He wobbled and then fell, crashing down onto his face.
“Make sure he stays here,” I yelled, getting onto my knees and grabbing a big arm to keep him put. There went my clean dress. “Don’t let him slide!”
Sebastian and Nessa ran forward, but the gargoyles were already there, situating him more securely.
“Straighten out his wings so I can heal them,” I demanded, getting up to help.
One of my heels broke, and I wobbled, falling down across his back.
“Sorry,” I muttered as Nathanial checked for a pulse. “Don’t bother with that. I can feel his chest rising and falling. He’s still alive. The effects of the spell will ease in a moment. Stretch out his wings. I need to get him patched up.”
Just after we’d gotten them straightened out, though, he shifted, reducing down into a man. He lay on his stomach, arms spread out to the sides.
“Dang it, we just had it.” I motioned for everyone to do it again, pressing my hand to the top of his back. “If you value your wings, don’t move. We need to make sure they’re properly aligned before I heal them or we’ll have to re-break them and try again. I doubt that’s the sort of day you were hoping for tomorrow.”
“You can heal,” he said, his voice raspy. It didn’t sound like a question, but I treated it like one anyway.
“I would never have done that to your wings if I couldn’t fix them.”
“It’s forbidden to tamper with wings unless you plan on killing your opponent.”
“I have spent a lot of this evening hearing about my shortcomings in the gargoyle world. Add that to the list of grievances, and also the list of ‘I don’t really care.’ No, Nathanial, out a bit.” I gestured for him.
“I thought you’d kill me. It felt like you were killing me.”
“Liked that one, did you? I haven’t been able to try it on anyone yet. Thanks for being my guinea pig. Why do you have a natural resistance to magic?”