Knights-of-Stone-Bryce by Lisa Carlisle Page A

counting on her. She was the reason they were here. They’d come to help her. Sure they came to protect against further attacks, yet they also were helping her in her mission to avenge the annihilation of her clan.
    The demons’ eyes were on her. Their soulless glare crept along her flesh, even without her spotting them. Bryce was down there. He’d done so much for her. Left his home and convinced others to help.
    And now she was going to give up as a failure because she was scared?
    She forced herself to halt her descent and inched back in the open air over the forests. Setting herself up like a lone rabbit circled by rabid wolves. A tantalizing morsel to tempt the demons out of hiding. Minutes ticked by, as slow as months, as she soared far from her former home, inviting the darkness to claim her in the pitch sky.
    “Well, look at this. The orphaned gargoyle has returned?”
    The low, slithering voice. She recognized it. A chill rippled through her, making her freeze. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed it was indeed the same two demons—or sluaghs—who’d captured her.
    All the terror from that period whooshed into her. The heartache of her loss. The despair. No sliver of hope that they’d ever let her escape. Not after what they’d done to the rest of her clan.
    You have to do this.
    “Stay away from me,” she shouted, moving back.
    She set off in motion to lure them out into the open air. Putting all her faith in the gargoyles. If they didn’t see the sluagh and pursue them, her actions would be futile.
    And fatal.
     
     
    The arrival of two sluagh made Bryce’s stomach lurch. Even at this distance, under the cover under a downed oak, he sensed their malevolence as Mairi had described. His skin prickled from the sudden whoosh of cold on an otherwise calm night.
    When they put their hands on Mairi, every fiber of Bryce’s muscles hardened as if he’d shifted to stone. His hand clamped over the handle of the silver sword as he soared at them. He had to get to Mairi, get her away from them. Emotions flared as he rushed forward, engulfed in a blind rage.
    Protect her.
    Flying at a greater speed than he ever had before, fueled by adrenaline and pure fury, he reached one of the sluagh before it even registered Bryce approaching from behind. He lashed with his sword at the one who’d grasped Mairi and sliced clear through its arm. The demon shrieked an unholy sound that vibrated along every bone inside Bryce’s ears. The sluagh’s hand still clutched her arm with long, thin fingers. She gasped with revulsion and tore the hand off her, tossing it.
    Since the sluaghs had torn off their victims’ limbs, Bryce had a fleeting moment to relish in the just payback. Yet, the battle had only just begun.
    The other sluagh roared as it lunged for him, talons extended and jagged fangs exposed. Its red eyes glowed through the dark of night.
    Bryce used his forearm to brace against the onslaught headed his way. The creature penetrated the flesh of his arm, making him cry out. The pain was intense, burning with a radiant heat. But at least, the sluagh hadn’t pierced his throat.
    Mairi screamed, “No!”
    She pulled out a dagger and impaled the demon through the side of the neck. Blood sprayed out from the wound, showering them in a rain of the vile, purplish liquid.
    The other sluagh had recovered from the shock of losing one hand and joined the battle. Bryce and Mairi slashed at them with their weapons, but within moments, it was clear these creatures had unearthly power that eclipsed theirs. After the initial surprise that put odds in Bryce and Mairi’s favor, the demons advanced on them, undaunted. Not even the sheer gargoyle strength would hold them off for long.
    Where in bloody hell were the other gargoyles? He hadn’t taken a moment to call to them to let them know what happened. With them all spread out over the realm, each had a limited view of the surroundings.
    Demons. Near my vantage point.