I was nodding before his words registered. “Huh?” I said, a beat too late.
The naked ogre whistled, long and shrill.
In the distance, the bald ogre jerked to a halt. He had Grym in a stranglehold in one hand and was sweeping Sampson off his back with the other. His big head turned our way.
The naked ogre lifted an arm, his fist punching the air.
The bald ogre dropped Grym and Sampson and turned away. He picked up his club and lumbered back behind his rock.
Sometimes-naked ogre smiled down at me. “There you go.” He swiped at the mustard he’d left on my shirt, smearing it over a larger area. “Say hello to Sebille for me. We’ll see you soon. We have much planning to do.”
“Uh…er…a…yeah. See ya.” I gave him a wave and took off running.
I had no idea what he was talking about, but I didn’t like the sound of it. I really hoped there wasn’t something in the small print wayyyy down at the…er…bottom…that the sprite and I were going to live to regret.
But, I was pretty sure there was.
25
Let’s Get This Show on the Road
We stood near the fountain I recognized from my previous visit to Loveland. The same creatures who’d been climbing all over the castle at the end of the avenue the last time I’d been there were still scurrying back and forth, leaving a slightly cleaner wall behind them wherever they’d been.
Still, much of the structure was covered in a gray to black film that looked like mold. Whatever was poisoning Loveland, the hard-working cleaners were barely keeping ahead of its debilitating effects.
“Where will the Obsession be?” I asked Sampson. He stood next to Lea-Nina, his expression sad as he stared at the distant castle. His dark hair stood up in spots where blood had hardened the strands together. Though the wounds had closed when he’d shifted back to human form, the deep bruises along his jaw and over his shoulder, which were visible beneath his torn clothing, had still not healed.
Grym didn’t look much better. His clothing was torn and flapping around his arms and legs from changing into his much bigger gargoyle form without stripping first. His hair was a mess and his face was battered and bruised. Dried blood formed a thin trail down his throat, and there was a smear of it across his forehead.
That ogre had beaten the stuffing out of the two men.
Thank the goddess, the almost-naked ogre had stopped it before they’d been killed.
Grym turned and caught me staring at him. He gave me a smile that made my belly tighten. I was still mad at him for not telling me about Sampson, but I’d learned my lesson. I’d give him a chance to explain, and we’d take it from there.
“I can’t believe you got Rhorr to stop that fight.” Grym shook his head. “He must really like you.”
I winced. I didn’t tell him I hadn’t known the naked ogre was the king. For now, I’d just let him think I had powerful friends. Then I remembered what the king had said about my being part of the family. Did he know something I didn’t? What if I was part ogre? It wasn’t like anybody would have told me if I was. I’d had to force what little I knew about my family out of Archie. And I still didn’t know most of what happened back when I’d been a toddler that had made my entire family leave, sticking me in the care of a surly troll who’d pretended she was my grandmother.
For all I knew, I had an ogre somewhere in my family tree.
Frowning, I determined to browbeat Archie into telling me more about my family. I could definitely threaten him with a painfully full bladder and kinky hair.
“…garden she keeps gated and locked. Nobody’s allowed in there except her and the gardener.”
I refocused my attention on Sampson.
“How do we get the key?” Sebille asked.
Sampson shook his head. “Our best bet is to find the gardener.”
“What about Desiree?” Lea asked. “What’s the plan there?”
Sampson’s face turned hard. “You let me deal with my sister. You all just get what you need and get out of here. Make sure you’re gone within our timeframe of twenty minutes though, or you might get stuck here.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
“I’m going to remove her ability to leave this place.” He grimaced as he glanced around at the dilapidated homes and the rotting fountain. “She’s destroyed this place. Let her live with what she’s done.”
Silence pulsed between us for a beat as everyone grieved what had probably once been a beautiful and thriving land. I scanned a look skyward and saw an overcast sky, layer upon layer of gray clouds hanging low as if trapped there by Loveland’s poison.
At the end of the lane, the wooden doors of the castle opened, and a single figure descended the steps and started toward us. I recognized the tall, lanky figure of Lovelace Cupid, his figure looking even more skeletal than the last time I’d seen him.
Lovelace didn’t appear to hurry toward us, but his strides somehow ate up the distance. Within only a couple of minutes, he was mere yards away. I looked him over, judging him even less healthy than the last time I’d seen him. His pallor was gray, his face even more wizened than before, and silvered strands turned his unkempt hair gray at the temples and threaded the rest more liberally than before.
The man inclined his head to me. “Keeper,” and gave Grym and Sebille a cursory glance, dismissing them without interest.
He didn’t appear surprised to see his brother, but his gaze fell on Lea-Nina and his smile was sad. “Hello, my dear. You’re just as lovely as I thought you’d be.”
A consummate actress, Lea
