Page 25 of Moonlit Guardians
“It will allow you to open the crypt where the Grimoire is hidden.”
I hold my hand out and accept the key. The very second it touches my hand, a sense of rightness swells in my chest. “This was… made from stone?” The smooth, polished surface of the key shines like glistening marble. At the base of the handle, rests a gargoyle’s silhouette with eyes of jewels.
“Yes,” Theren answers.
A flood of emotion wells up within me. And I suddenly feel like I’m home again. It’s a feeling I struggle to explain and oneI’ve never felt before. I look over at Theren. “Why do I feel this way?”
“Because the key was fashioned from the same stone that birthed you.”
***
FLUMPH
Mercenary Stronghold
The barracks is hot beneath the scorchin’ sun. I ain’t smell nothin’ but the stench of sweaty asscrack and musty pits. For fuck sake my wee little nose all scrunchy-like cause I feelin’ like I might fuckin’ spew my breakfast all over Noni boots. As if the rays o’ light weren’t already hurtin’ my fuckin’ eyes, now I gots to deal with the other giants kickin’ dirt up into my face while they’s fightin’.
Noni an’ me… we be fightin’ too.
She all sneaky-like when I tries to pin her. She hit me right in the throat an’ I falls over, gaspin’ while my poor lungs burn cause I can’t fuckin’ breathe. When I finally gets some breath back, I sweeps my legs under Noni so she fall on her ass.
We was sparrin’ with them other little faes, but now I want revenge. Too bad Noni much quicker than I thinks. She roll away an jump up, glarin’ at me with them freaky ass eyes o’ hers.
The other faes get all ups in our faces cause they knows I a badass. They push us apart an’ we all takes a break. I dig ‘round in Noni bag for them cookies she always makin’ an’ I gobbles them up till my fuzzy little belly full. Noni give the rest o’ them cookies to the other faes. It nice to be round little guys like us.
Motis lay on the ground with his face all red an’ whatnot. He a weird sort a fae with a big ‘ol mane ‘round his face, but he ain’t no lion critter.
“I heard someone say that vampire eat fae like us,” he say. He be talkin’ ‘bout Baron.
“Maybe he eat you, but not me. I show him that Flumph ain’t no snack. I a warrior now ‘an he show me lotsa respects.”
“That ain’t what I hear,” Motis say like he know.
“Then youze might wanna clean yer fuckin’ ears ‘cause you ain’t hearin’ good,” I snorts.
“That not true. I hear lots. We little fae know everything going on in this place. King Galmer tell us to go peek on you lot.”
“Bunch o’ lies,” I says.
But Motis shake his head real determined like. “No lie. I even know that all of ya are looking for bunches of prophecies, but you isn’t telling the king ‘bout them prophecies. He don’t trust nobody that keep secrets.” Motis stick his tongue out at me, but he a fool. Now I gots to go tell my companions that the king sendin’ him little spies to look in on us.
Noni an’ I shares a look and scurry off all secret-like. When we gets to the compound, I go lookin’ fer Pretty while she go lookin’ fer Pyre. Fang Face an’ Mask arrive a lot quicker than Pretty. These days I wonderin’ if Baron and Pyre attached like them spooky fuckin’ snakes with two heads. Pretty finally show up.
“Galmer got them itty bitty faes sneakin’ n peekin’ on us...” I say.
“What?” Baron demands.
“What Mr. Flumph trying to say,” Noni interrupt. “Is that the horsey king has small fae spying on us. He don’t trust secret-y people and we got lots of secrets.”
I glare at her, all mad like. “Don’t speak fer me!” Then I look at the others. “What I is tryin’ to say was that the king don’t trust secrety people an’ we gots lotsa secrets, so he sendin’ a bunch o’ critters like Motis. But the king be real stupid-like ‘cause Motis told us he was doin’ the spyin’.”
I looks up an’ see my companions all got real angry looks on their faces.
CHAPTER NINE
EILISH
Mercenary Stronghold
