Storm Princess 2: The Princess Must Strike by Everly Frost & Jaymin Eve

Author:Everly Frost & Jaymin Eve [Frost, Everly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-09-29T16:00:00+00:00

15

The rest of the day passes in a blur. Roar asks Iago to set Jasper and I up with gloves, and the wiry gargoyle attaches thick leather patches to the sides of our boots so we can slide down the mineshaft ladders. We test them out at the main shaft at the entrance to the Cavity while the guards watch closely. I’m not sure where they think we would escape to. There’s nothing but desolate mountain out there.

As evening approaches, tensions grow. Dinner involves a rearrangement of seating so we can eat with our teams. That’s when I meet the remaining member of Roar’s team: a gargoyle called Welsian who has the biggest biceps I’ve ever seen and stands a head taller than Roar when he draws himself up to his full height. Mostly Welsian keeps to himself, shoulders down, hunkering over his bowl of gruel. Judging by what’s on our plates, the ‘proper’ meal that Howl promised once each day must be going to materialize for breakfast.

I try to tune out the nervous whispers and occasional outbursts at the surrounding tables. Snippets of conversation tell me the other teams are wondering the same things I am. Like how Cassian is going to decide who fights who, and what happens if someone’s knocked out or injured—do they still get to mine with their team? All valid questions but nobody has any answers.

When it’s time for bed, Jasper leaves with his team and I stay close to Llion. He hasn’t spoken to me much since his revelation earlier.

He asks, “Do you still trust me, Lady Storm?”

“Of course. I know you didn’t design those weapons for Howl.”

He relaxes. “Then stay close to me. There are a lot of jumpy gargoyles here tonight and fear makes normally sensible males do stupid things.”

“We sleep this way,” Roar says, leading the way from the food hall. Outside, he points to the third structure. “That is the bathing area, but I don’t expect you to go in there.”

He’s right about that. There was a small bathroom back in the food hall that I used, but I’ll have to do without a proper shower for now. Right now that’s not my biggest problem. I’d expected the final building to be some sort of barracks. “Where do we sleep?”

“Up there.”

I don’t particularly want to look up. I’m not going to like this. I give in and study the ceiling. The cloth that the Elyria web is attached to billows in at least a hundred places, sagging like lots of ribbons attached to the ceiling at their ends.

“Are those… hammocks?”

Roar grins. “Don’t worry, the Elyria thread is unbreakable.”

“You really sleep in them?”

“It keeps us close to the rock and to the Elyria light.” Roar shrugs. “It’s comforting for gargoyles.”

Not so much for elves. The height of the hammocks isn’t the only thing I have to worry about. As the evening draws on, I’m feeling the cold in a way that I haven’t before. I remind myself that warm air rises, so sleeping close to the ceiling is more likely to be warm than down here.

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