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PADAVION AND THE WOMEN she was watching over were chatting quietly when a hulking gray monster stepped into the cave. Instead of screaming in fear, the fairies and elves leaped to their feet and rushed over to hug him. “Ivan!” one of maidens exclaimed happily. “You’ve come to visit us?”
“Yep,” a melodious voice said, then a second person joined the gargoyle. “How are you girls doing?” Zircadion asked. Tonight, she was an auburn haired, brown eyed beauty.
“We’re fine, beautiful angel,” one of the fairies said and hugged the Night Cursed healer who had saved their lives. Her slightly crooked halo always gave away who she was no matter what face or form she was wearing.
Padavion nodded at the pair in greeting when they were led over to the couches and armchairs. Ivan was too heavy for the furniture and hunkered on the ground instead. “Have you had any trouble here?” he asked in his deep, gravelly voice.
“A wizard in a red cloak was wandering around the forest a few weeks ago,” Padavion told them. She’d met them both a few times and trusted them, since they were Xiara Evora’s friends.
“We heard from some sprites that a unicorn gave the wizard one of his hairs,” an elf maiden said. “We’re not sure what he plans to do with it, though.”
“What if he comes back?” a timid fairy asked, clutching her hands together in worry.
“You don’t need to worry about him,” Zircadion said confidently. She sat down and her short white dress drew up to expose her shapely legs to the upper thighs. “He’s a good guy.”
“Are you sure?” Padavion asked doubtfully. “Do you know him?”
“We haven’t met him, but the Guardian of Nox has,” Ivan explained. “The wizard is on our side.”
“He’s a rebel?” an elf asked excitedly. “Will he really help overthrow the Immortal Triumvirate?” Everyone knew what the rebels were planning, even if they had no idea how they hoped to pull it off.
“He’s gathering ingredients the rebels will need,” Zircadion said evasively. That was the theory Quilla had come up with, but it had been a guess rather than a vision. It was frustrating that the gypsy couldn’t tell them who was going to win in the end, but she couldn’t force the outcome to become clear.
“Do you have any news from the city?” one of the fairies asked. They all missed their friends and families, but they had to remain in hiding. If Lord Dallinar found out that they’d survived what he’d done to them, he would have them all killed.
Zircadion and Ivan relayed the rumors they’d heard, but they couldn’t divulge what the rebels were really up to. They’d just wanted to make sure the women were doing okay in their secluded cave. Padavion was guarding them well. She still wore the disguise that she was hideously disfigured. Quilla had foreseen that Padavion and the girls would be needed, but it was unclear what their purpose was.
Shrill giggles came from the mouth of the cave, then six sprites flew through the illusion that hid the entrance. “Ooh, the pretty angel and the ugly gargoyle are here!” one of them said.
“Ivan isn’t ugly!” an elf maiden said in his defense.
“That’s a lie,” Zircadion said with a snicker as the sprites descended on the food that sat on the coffee table.
“It is true, my form is far from pleasant to look upon,” Ivan said with a shrug. One of the sprites grabbed a chip and flew over to perch on his hunched shoulder. He scowled at her when she began loudly crunching on the chip right next to his ear. She grinned at him winsomely and kept eating.
“We haven’t seen anyone strange lurking around, angel,” one of the male sprites said in a self-important tone. “The wizard in the red cloak was the only person we’ve seen who didn’t belong here and we haven’t seen him in ages.” He scooped up a handful of dip and crammed it into his mouth, smearing it all over his face in the process. High-pitched laughter came from his friends and he flicked dip at them.
“With sentries like these, no one will ever discover your location,” Zircadion said wryly. She knew the sprites would never betray Padavion or her charges, but they were flighty and harebrained. It was a wonder they could concentrate long enough to sweep the forest for intruders.
“We should return to the city,” Ivan said after they’d chatted with the fae women for an hour or so. The girls were fine and weren’t in need of anything. He was anxious to get back to Amanda. The werepanda had a habit of causing trouble when he wasn’t there to distract her. It was only raining lightly and he wanted to take her for a stroll. It wasn’t healthy for shifters to sit around inside all night long. His beloved didn’t need to hunt for food like a carnivore, but being cooped up wasn’t good for her mental health.
Zircadion nodded and the pair stood up. She planned to head to Tournament Town and watch Frank fight his latest battle. He was scheduled to fight soon and she didn’t want to miss it. There were far fewer spectators now, but Sir Francis and his fellow fighters still put on a show most nights.
After a round of hugs, the angel and gargoyle stepped through the illusion that hid the cave. They took to the sky and flew southward, splitting up when they reached the city. Zircadion cut across the Vampire District and headed for the arena north of the lake near Pirate Cove. Ivan kept going south. He veered around a flock of crows that were fighting a rival crow. He did a doubletake when he saw their green eyes. The sickness that was spreading through Nox was growing worse. His expression was grimmer than usual as he headed home.
Chesi appeared when he was a short distance from their warehouse. She slithered over his shoulders and hitched a ride with him. She barely weighed anything, so he didn’t mind. While the air elemental couldn’t talk, she let out happy chirrups and purrs of contentment. He landed in front of the entrance to their home and stroked the fae creature’s scaly head as he let himself inside.
“Ivan!” Amanda called out in gladness when she saw him. “Come over here and give me a kiss, you big stony lump of sexiness!”
Gertrude made gagging noises and Wayne snorted out a laugh. “If you two start humping each other, we’re all leaving,” the werewolf said. He was in his human form and had shaggy brown hair and amber eyes. He wasn’t as big as Steve Banner, but he was muscular.
“You’re just jealous because you don’t have epic sex like we do,” Amanda said with a smirk.
“Sure we do,” Gertrude said in her slightly raspy voice, which made Fiona gasp in surprise. “We just don’t do it in public,” the witch added.
“How are the girls?” Umbridge asked, looking up from the book he was scanning. It was a ploy to change the subject and it worked.
“They’re fine,” Ivan reported. “They haven’t seen anyone sneaking around, looking for them. Neither have the sprites.”
“Ugh, sprites,” Drognar said. She was mostly visible tonight and paused with a slice of pizza halfway to her mouth. “Some evil sprites were living in the Demon District,” she said. “They used to chase me through the catacombs, casting spells at me.”
She didn’t talk about her life in the bowels of the city very often. It hadn’t been pleasant being the only non-evil demon in the entire District.
“Come for a walk with me, my love,” Ivan said and held his hand out to Amanda.
The werepanda grabbed a final handful of chips and allowed him to haul her to her feet. “Let’s go to that park a few blocks away,” she suggested, waggling her furry eyebrows. “No one will bother us there.” She leered at him and Gertrude and Fiona snickered. Chesi knew what they planned to do and slithered from the gargoyle’s shoulder. She flew over to Drognar and settled on the demon’s lap. Her back leg began kicking the air when the demon tickled her belly.
“I hope Kade, Sebastian and Raum can win this war,” Gertrude said when the lovebirds were gone. The crunching sound of Amanda eating her handful of chips was cut off when the door closed behind them.
“We all do,” Fiona agreed softly. They had too much to lose if the Immortal Triumvirate were allowed to continue to rule Nox.
