Gargoyle Saga: In the middle

Chapter 15: Touch of Evil

Chapter 15: Touch of Evil

Arriving at Hadriana's, she stood outside of her bridge with her arms folded. She looked like some new-age pirate, sporting a baggy white blouse, tight brown leggings and black high-knee boots. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she stared at us. The sun was high in a clear, cloudless blue sky. The shimmering lake surrounding the castle looked strangely inviting. A few fish came to the surface, gobbling up insects that flew too close.

I took a single step towards her, and Justin mimicked me. She shook her head; her black tight locks rippled as she denied us entrance. I don't know how, but she clearly expected us to come. She barked at Rowan to leave and looked pityingly at Justin.

'I don't want to leave her,' Rowan said, standing by my side. 'Not just yet, anyway. Please, let me stay for a few days.'

Hadriana gave me a small smile. 'Task complete?' I nodded. 'And you've managed to piss off Sorren, change a demon into a human, broke the Golden Rule, helped an escape nymph leave her post in Switzerland get to America and showed the Gargoyle council that you are capable of leaving everything you know and all,' she checked her watch, 'within the space of six hours. I am impressed.'

'It's not impressive,' I spat. 'I've done horrible things. I let a human die! I couldn't get to her in time.'

Hadriana remained quiet for a while then said softly, reached out and put her hand on my shoulder. 'It's a war, them and you. There are bound to be casualties. It happens Verity, even to the best of us. Try not to dwell on it.' She smiled and then gestured for me to go into the castle. As soon as I began to walk, so did Justin. 'Wait, I don't want that thing in my home.'

'He's bound to me, magically,' I explained. 'Wherever I go, he goes.'

'Hmm, I'll have to fix that.'

'He can't be loose on the world,' Rowan warned her. 'He's a former demon. He'd run back to the demons given the chance. He's still a monster.'

Justin hissed at him and stared at me in a pleading way, almost to try and defend him. 'He's not a monster,' I said. 'He's Justin. A human in training.' I gave Justin a smile but he looked away from me. Clearly, I hadn't said the right thing.

'Well, I'll deal with him. I have a few spells that can work.' Hadriana sighed in a bored manner and thumbed back to the doors. 'Fine, let's all go back in. Rowan, isn't it?' he nodded. 'Sorren wants you back at the academy as soon as possible. He also wants Verity too, but I have a feeling that Verity has already made up her mind.'

We walked onto the bridge that led to the front doors. Not looking at her, I said, 'I was fed up with being tricked and scammed, even by people I thought I could trust. If a father can do that to me, he's no father of mine.'

'You didn't want to be his bitch,' Justin muttered, which in all fairness, was correct and hearing it from his lips, made me smile.

Hadriana kept my cousin Gwen and Lauri out of the way while Justin, Rowan and I ate dinner. I was hungry, more than I thought I was, and for some unknown reason, Rowan was probably more so than me. We noticed, after a while, that Justin stared at his plate of bangers, mash and gravy in total disgust. I went over and cut his food up and showed him how to eat. It never occurred to me that since I had made Justin human, I hadn't seen him eat. He always took the food and slunk away. But now he was forced into a situation where he had to act as we did, and he almost looked embarrassed. After half an hour of Rowan and I scoffing our faces, Justin said, 'I'm not hungry.'

'What a load of bull,' Rowan frowned. 'You,' he pointed at him with his gravy-covered fork, 'don't know how to eat. Such a child.'

Justin snarled, 'I am not a child! I'm over five hundred years old.'