Valor (A Greystone Novel)

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The problem with plans is that things don't always go the way you suppose they will. Dare and I had intended to drive to the ridge top house where we expected to find Valor and the harpy. Dare was supposed to handle the dangerous part of the rescue. He was going to lure the harpy outside with the bottle of venom.

  When he removed the cap from the bottle, he figured the harpy would smell the venom and probably think there was a gargoyle nearby. She wouldn't pick up Dare's scent before then because his venom was sealed behind his scarred hackles. After she went outside to investigate, I was supposed to sneak inside the house to free Valor while Dare defended himself with the car. I didn't know exactly how he planned to do that. To be honest, I didn't want to know the details, which I thought might be messy. I was just content to think Dare would be safe in my solid, old Jeep Cherokee.

  We didn't plan on the harpy plucking me from the ground while Dare backed Alexa's car down the driveway.

  The two girls scrambled to get back into their big SUV with Dare. I was heading back toward my Jeep with my keys in my hand, when a pair of sharp claws gripped my shoulders and lifted me from the ground. Despite my shock, I managed to drag my feet through the snow a bit so that Dare might have an inkling of what had happened to me when he came back up the driveway and discovered I was gone. And I dropped my keys for him, somewhat belatedly. I watched them disappear between the trees and sink into twelve inches of snow. It would have been nice if I could have left him my phone so he could use it to follow me to Valor, but it was buried in the backpack on my shoulder. There was no time to dig it out before we were flying over the forest.

  You know those movies where the hero is plucked from the ground by some flying monster and he's kicking and fighting in midair to free himself? Well, that doesn't happen. I reached up and held on to the harpy for dear life, terrified she would drop me to my death on the ground far, far below.

  And everything I'd been told about harpies did nothing to prepare me for the sight of the hideous monster that dangled me from her taloned feet. She was gigantically huge with no female features on her rocky face and no breasts whatsoever. Her skin was sandy brown and pocked with small holes; it looked exactly like weathered rock except more pliable, like a thick, rubbery plastic that had been spray-painted to look like granite. And except for the absence of male parts on her naked body, you would never have known she was female.

  She swung out high over the trees and headed for Evergreen Mountain, a few miles away. I was pretty sure Victor and the others would've already searched the area and moved on. They wouldn't have discovered the harpy because she wasn't out in the open when they got there. She'd have been inside the big house at the top of the ridge.

  I figured the pack wouldn't find us until they returned to my place and discovered the map on the dining room table. If Dare could locate my keys in the snow, he'd probably try to follow me, but it would take a while for him to print out another map and get going. That meant I was going to have to come up with a new plan.

  I remembered what Dare had told me about the harpies' stony armor and how my best chance was to strike between the plates. But the monster's ankles and feet were fully protected. Dangling from the harpy's claws, I couldn't reach high enough to do any real harm. The closest vulnerable point was just above her ankles. I figured the best I could do was maybe cripple her. At any rate, I decided not to act until we were almost to the house…and closer to the ground.

  As we approached the large mansion, I released my hold on the harpy's legs, which was more difficult than you could possibly imagine. Basically, I was counting on the harpy not to drop me. That meant I was putting my trust in a creature who wished me no good. The kind of creature that strips the wings from beautiful gargoyles for fun. The kind of creature that—if she got her way—was going to torture me in front of Valor.

  But I was determined she wouldn't use me against him.

  As soon as I let go of her stony ankles, she jerked me around in the air like a rag doll. I resisted the urge to grab hold again, which is what I figured she wanted me to do. I was damned if I'd cooperate with the flying rock pile.

  The harpy lifted her knees to her chest and craned her head down to look at me, which was even creepier than it sounds. She cocked her head like some horrible, huge vulture and her beady black eyes glittered with suspicion as she stared at me. Swiftly, I lowered my gaze to the ground below and tried to look like my first priority was escape rather than attack.

  When the harpy finally straightened out again, I slid my hand into the pocket of my coat and pulled the ice pick from its sheath. Even though I have zero killer instinct, I was prepared to do my best to cripple the harpy. I just hoped it wouldn't be as hard as putting a worm on a fishing hook. Because I totally failed at that when I was ten years old. Evidently, I didn't inherit my father's murderous fishing gene.

  I struck when we were about ten feet from the ground, aiming the tip of the ice pick at the edge of the stony plate that separated the harpy's taloned foot from her leg. But before the ice pick could sink between the plates and do any damage, the harpy dropped me.

  I hit the ground with an ominous crunch, considering I fell into a foot of snow. The landing should have been softer. My foot didn't hurt right away. It was several seconds before I realized my ankle was broken, my foot dangling useless at the end of my leg. But by the time the pain caught up to me and I was ready to scream, I had bigger problems.

  The harpy wheeled around in the air and shrieked as she dove at me. And if I live forever, I'll never forget the bone-chilling sound of her cry. Like a thousand icy fingernails scraping down polished glass, it wrapped around my spine and spread a helpless, frozen terror through my limbs. She hit me before I could roll over onto my knees. My head snapped back and I saw stars as my skull dented the snow.

  Frantically, I lifted my pounding head and looked around for the harpy.

  The monster had landed about fifteen feet away. As she stalked toward me, her wings closed around her frame like a coat. It was longer than the gargoyles' vests. The black leather almost reached her knees.

  Her rocky bulk towered over me as she came to a stop right in front of me and backhanded me across the face. Blood spurted from my nose and the dark drops looked black against the blinding white snow.

  The harpy ignored the ice pick in my hand. I could tell that she didn't consider my small pointed weapon much of a threat. She knotted her fingers in my collar and started dragging me toward the house. As she towed me through the snow, my backpack ripped from my shoulder and traveled down my arm. I gripped the strap with my fingers just before I lost it completely. Panicked, I fished inside the canvas bag for Valor's little glass bottle.

  The ugly monstrosity tossed me through the mansion's wide front doors like I was a sack of potatoes. The ice pick flew from my hand as I landed and clattered across the marble-tiled floor. I lay on my face in a spacious foyer that opened into a huge living room with hardwood floors and Persian rugs, my small bottle of venom hidden in the palm of my hand. The sun shone through the beveled edges of the small glass windows on the doors and the light fractured into splinters of color on the large tiles that paved the foyer.

  I lifted my head to find Valor. Trapped in his stone form, he stood in the middle of the living room with his knife on his belt and his foot chained to a stake buried in the polished hardwood floor. Like Dare had expected, Valor hadn't made the change to his living form. Maybe he'd never had the chance; the harpy took him before sunrise.

  There was no doubt in my mind that he would have woken up as soon as he saw me—if he'd been able to. Unfortunately, heavy drapes covered the large windows in the living room and there was no direct sunlight to help him make the change. For whatever reason, the harpy wanted to keep Valor in his stone form. Maybe she didn't want him to wake up before she'd brought me to the house.

  "Pretty," the harpy cackled as her gaze followed mine to Valor.

  Seeing a chanc
e to buy some time, I growled, "Mine."

  The harpy's head whipped back around and her glittering black eyes narrowed on me with scorching hatred.

  "He's mine," I repeated as I rolled over into a sitting position. "You can't have him. You can't make him give you his rune because he's already given it to me."

  "Liar!" she screamed like a thousand banshees from hell, her voice amplified in the stone-tiled foyer.

  I dug in my pocket and thrust Valor's note at her.

  She snatched the square of paper from my hand with her long, craggy fingers and opened it. She tilted her head as she looked at the printed letters. "Can't read," she complained in a scratchy voice that sounded like a raven's harsh croak.

  "It says he loves me," I declared and lifted my chin defiantly.

  She targeted me with her beady gaze again. "Don't care," she snarled.

  "I'm wearing his rune," I shouted, determined to stall for as long as possible in the hopes that Dare or the others would get there in time to help.

  The harpy crossed her arms over her chest. "Prove it."

  "Not a problem," I muttered in answer.

  This was the genius part and one of our backup plans. I was wearing six layers of clothing. And now that my ankle was broken, I had a good excuse for taking my time. Awkwardly, I pulled my coat off. Then my hoodie. After that, I took my time getting the heavy turtleneck over my head. Next came the long sleeved top.

  Not long on patience, the harpy screamed with frustration and reached for me. Three seconds later, my two T-shirts were in tatters and my upper arm was exposed. So much for buying time.

  "Liar," the harpy screeched triumphantly when she saw my runeless arm. Her malignant gaze swung to the beautiful gargoyle frozen in the middle of the elegant living room. A greedy leer was on her pockmarked face as she stared at Valor. "The pretty boy is mine!" she crowed. "Forever."

  Like hell, I thought.

  I knew that Victor and the rest of the pack would eventually come to our rescue. I also knew that the harpy would scent their approach and I was afraid she might ambush them. So I threw the small bottle of venom at my feet and smashed it with my good foot, using the heel of my boot. Basically, I was hoping the harpy wouldn't be able to scent the pack's approach over the smell of the venom spilled in the foyer.

  As I watched the brilliant blue liquid spread slowly over the tiles, the harpy wheeled around and howled in fury. I lifted my arm to shield my face, expecting her to hit me again but she kicked me aside and threw herself on the ground. I was shocked to see her try to lick up the venom that spread like a stain on the tiles.

  I hadn't, for one moment, expected her to behave that way. But while she was crouched on the floor, I snatched up the ice pick and scrambled to Valor on my hands and knees. I imagine I looked pretty ridiculous but there was a method to my madness. I knew the harpy would follow me and I wanted to get her close to Valor.

  With my good foot supporting my weight, I clawed my way up Valor's stone frame and turned to face the harpy who had followed me into the living room. A drop of venom slid down her chin and she swiped at it with her thick, pointed tongue.

  It was so gross.

  She probably thought I looked silly, brandishing the ice pick in my right hand as if I was going to be able to make a dent in her solid stone bulk. But I was counting on her to overlook the wooden sheath in my left hand. Thanks to about a dozen bobby pins, my head was still covered by my hat so she couldn't see my red hair and she didn't know I was a witch.

  The monster loomed toward me and gave me a vicious kick in the shin. Pain screamed through my leg and I sank against the statue of Valor as she backed up a few steps. Her retreat didn't last long. Apparently confident that I couldn't harm her, the harpy stepped toward me again. Her big, rocky fist flew at me and knocked the needle-like ice pick from my right hand. This time she didn't step away from me but prepared to deliver the next blow to my face. Stars exploded across my vision as her fist connected with my chin.

  As the harpy got ready to hit me again, I knew I was running out of time. I had to act before she hit me too often and I blacked out. But I wanted her a bit closer before I made my move. Valor was chained to the floor and couldn't reach the harpy with his knife. I just needed her to move a little closer.

  "Little human idiot," she screeched with an ugly laugh. "Did you really think you could stop me?"

  "No," I answered as I gripped the ice pick's wooden sheath in my left fist. "I thought I'd let my boyfriend do that." At that point, I was beginning to fade out, the corners of my vision shrinking inward as consciousness slipped away from me in a dark rush. But I heard a distant bang, like a door thrown open. I was hoping for the gargoyle cavalry. That's not exactly what I got.

  Out of nowhere, Hooligan flashed into the room and leapt at the harpy. He went for her throat as she turned to face him.

  The harpy stumbled backward under Hooligan's massive weight. Unfortunately, she crashed into me and knocked the wooden sheath from my hand before I could wish for Valor's help. My heart sank all the way down to my broken ankle. I had been counting on that piece of wood to use with my awakening spell.

  I didn't know how Hooligan had gotten there but I doubted he was going to be any match for the harpy. Valor was frozen in his stone form. The rest of the pack was nowhere in sight and I was losing consciousness. Feeling defeated and utterly hopeless, I wished Valor would just miraculously wake up and save my dog and me.

  Weirdly and unexpectedly, I got my miracle.

  Before I could take another breath, I heard Valor shout my name. I felt his arm go strongly around my waist, supporting me as I drooped toward the floor. After that, everything's a blur in my memory. I saw Dare for a brief instant and I was vaguely aware of him tearing down the curtains while Hooligan snarled and the harpy screeched.

  As sunlight spilled into the room, Valor spread his wings around me like a tent. His voice was desperate with concern as he called my name again. "MacKenzie. Are you alright, lass?"

  Something fell against us and Valor turned to stone to protect me within the indestructible circle of his wings. Then I must have blacked out because I don't remember anything else. But I bet I was smiling when I lost consciousness. 'Cause I could see that Valor's long knife was missing from the sheath hanging on his old emo belt. And I had a pretty good idea of where the knife had ended up.