Highlander Enchanted(89)

“Is Father Thiebauld okay?” I asked immediately.

“His arm was broken and he had some burns,” Father Ellis replied. “But he will be fine. The EMTs said he’d be released tonight.”

“And the rest of you?”

“We are well, Lyssa,” he assured me.

“Why wouldn’t Father Cristopolos let me help?” I demanded. “I know how to handle this situation.” Well, I thought I did at least. Herakles always said I was too eager to want to try my hand at disaster, that there were things I would never understand until I went through them.

Father Ellis smiled. “I know,” he said kindly.

Mollified, I drew a deep breath. “No survivors from the plane?”

“There was no one aboard to survive. The plane crash was meant to break the boundaries. Hence the new one.” He pointed to the red cord near my feet.

I arched an eyebrow at him. “Someone did this on purpose?”

“Lyssa, I need to ask you something, and I need you to tell me the truth,” he said quietly.

“I always do.”

“Did you leave the boundaries at any point recently? Or ever?”

My flushing face answered his question.

“I need to know when and where,” he said.

“Does it matter right now? I mean, shouldn’t we figure out where we’re going to put all the nymphs? I doubt they can survive in the forest,” I pointed out.

“We have it all figured out. The girls will stay in town. You will remain in the forest for now.”

I frowned, dismayed. “That’s not fair!”

“Now, where did you step outside the boundaries?” Father Ellis was always good at deflating my anger and tantrums. It was hard to oppose him when he was quiet, gentle and genuinely the nicest priest on staff.

“By the lake,” I sighed and pointed in the general direction.

“When?”

“Sundown last night.”

He appeared thoughtful, gaze on the charred ruins of our home.

“It was only for, like, ten minutes,” I added quickly. “I wanted to dip my toes in the water.”

“Did you?”

I nodded.

“How was it?” he asked almost absently.

“Amazing. So much better than the pool.”

“Did anything happen at the lake?”

My mouth dropped open. It wasn’t possible for him to know about the creature, yet he was asking the question like he did. At my silence, he met my gaze with another of his calm smiles.

“Whatever you did, it’s okay, Lyssa. I just need to know,” he said.

“I didn’t do anything!” I replied. “I dipped my feet then went back to the forest. Then …” I drifted off and shifted feet, not sure how to tell him about the creature. “Well … I saw something at the lake early this morning.”

He waited, brows furrowing.

“It was a creature of some sort. Wings, tail, standing on two feet.” I cleared my throat.

“This … creature. Did you speak to it?”

“Oh, no. I stayed in the forest. It was kind of freaky.”

By his expression, this wasn’t the news he was expecting, though he wasn’t surprised either. “Grotesque.”

“It wasn’t gross. I’d probably say terrifying.”

“No, Lyssa,” he said with another patient smile. “It’s called a grotesque. It’s like a gargoyle only different.”

“A gargoyle,” I repeated. “It was ugly enough. Never heard of gargoyles flying around, though.”

“The grotesque has been rumored to exist in the service of the Triumvirate. Glimpses are seen every once in a while but have never been confirmed.”

“Um, okay.” The old man’s lost it. Then again, I was the one who witnessed said creature.

An awkward silence fell between us. My gaze drifted once more to the school.

“So what’s the plan?” I asked. “Have classes in a tent or something?”

“The plan is to move the girls out to their assignments immediately instead of waiting for graduation and for you to go to a similar site.”

“But I’m supposed to graduate and move on, too. Why do I need to go to another stupid school?”

“Father Cristopolos will tell you.” He glanced at me. For the first time since arriving, I sensed he was hiding something. I had always found the monks and their dedication to the Old Ways mysterious, but I never felt like their secrets pertained to me. Whatever he wasn’t saying about me, however, snagged my attention.

The remaining three priests approached. I bowed my head to each of them as was appropriate. They exchanged looks I wasn’t able to decipher but which made me uneasy.

Father Cristopolos addressed me. “Alessandra, why don’t you take us to your and Herakles’ favorite spot in the forest. I think it’s a meadow?”

I nodded. My pulse was starting to race at the calm request. I’d wanted the attention of the priests my whole life and watched them dote over the nymphs instead. Now that the four of them were focused on me, I suddenly wanted them to leave me alone. “This way,” I said quietly and spun on my heel, leading them deeper into the forest. “Was Herakles in the house or something?” I asked uneasily, unable to identify why they wanted to go to my favorite place.