Chapter 2

CHAPTER2

Rhys

I stoodsolitary in the corner of Buckie’s, my tall frame casting a foreboding shadow. My piercing eyes scanned the lively scene before me, but I remained distant from the merriment. The warm, homey pub overflowed with laughter and joy—feelings foreign to me now.

While the other students celebrated their last taste of freedom, I brooded in isolation, burdened by the curse I carried within. The gazes of admiring girls followed me, but their attraction was only skin-deep. They did not see the true monster that lurked beneath this handsome façade. They knew nothing of my secrets, buried inside me in a vault of stone.

Finally, I ignored them and joined my friends at the table, stern-faced and disconnected from the surrounding revelry. In all truth, the closer the year’s end got, the more detached I’d become from the world. Perhaps it was a sign of the curse about to enfold me—turning my heart into a permanent rock, one beat at a time.

“Have a drink mate, it’ll loosen you up!” Gideon said, pushing a frothing pint towards me.

I shook my head. “No, thanks. I’m not really in the mood.” My thoughts were too consumed with the meeting ahead to relax.

“Rhys, come on! Let loose a little,” Asmoday urged me, trying to coax me onto the dance floor. But I couldn’t join them, not with the weight of worry pressing down on me.

One more time, I glanced around the room. Watching. Waiting… Nothing.

“Maybe later,” I replied tersely, crossing my arms over my chest.

The evening wore on; the pub filled with music and laughter that grated on my nerves. The cheerful din felt strangely disjointed from my grim thoughts. I shifted in my seat, struggling to focus on the surrounding conversations rather than dwelling on my fate.

I glanced at the vintage wall clock. 11:35 PM. Where was he? The nameless sorcerer who’d promised me answers, a way to finally break this wretched curse.

Hope warred with skepticism inside me. This wouldn’t be the first charlatan who claimed to have a cure, only to rob me blind. And yet... what if this time it was real? My stone heart clenched at the possibility. I tried to curb my reckless longing, but it persisted. A chance at freedom. It was a dream I hardly dared give voice to after years of bitter disappointments.

11:45 PM. Still no sign of him. Unease slithered through me as the noise and clamor of the pub faded to background static. He wasn’t coming. I should have known better than to get my hopes up. Crushing despair threatened to swallow me again.

“No!” I growled and slammed my fist on the table, earning a few wary glances.

I would not surrender hope so easily this time. If this sorcerer would not come to me, then I would seek him out instead. I would scour every corner of this cursed land if I must, tear down every enchanted door, confront the darkest beings imaginable. I would do whatever it took to escape my fate.

I stood abruptly, nearly toppling my chair in my haste. My friends looked at me in surprise.

“Everything alright?” Gideon asked.

“Sorry, I need some air,” I muttered. Before they could respond, I was jostling my way outside, eager to burst out of the cheerful warmth into the chilly night. But as I turned towards the exit, a flash of silver caught my eye.

Immediately, I froze. It was her—Seraphina.

Her presence alone was like the sweetest melody soaring above the din, momentarily stilling my restless spirit. She stood across the crowded pub, a vision of ethereal beauty. Long waves of moonlight hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing her heart-shaped face. Even from afar, her stormy grey eyes sparkled with warmth and intelligence.

My gaze trailed down, taking in her sensual figure. Lush curves filled out the deep emerald dress cinched at her waist, accentuating her stunning hourglass silhouette. She was a goddess incarnate, a plus-size delight. Her every movement exuded grace and confidence. Just the sight of her made my heart beat faster.

I envied the friends at her side, able to bask freely in her radiance. How I longed to approach Seraphina, to hear her melodic voice directed at me, to drown in those fathomless eyes. She frequented my most ardent dreams, this lovely siren call forever out of reach.

Last year, I’d been unable to approach her. She had a boyfriend then. A lousy one who broke her heart. I ached to comfort her but stayed away, all possible glimpses of happiness overshadowed by the cruelness of my fate.

And now, my days were even more numbered, doomed as I was to become a lifeless stone effigy by year’s end. I had no right to taint Seraphina’s light with my curse. But oh, how I yearned to let her in, to unburden myself of the crushing loneliness I bore.

I lingered a moment more, drinking in her beauty. Her inner light shone through, magnetic and warm. This remarkable woman stirred feelings in me that I’d thought long buried by bitterness and solitude. For a second, the darkness of my curse seemed to retreat.

But no, I dared not taint her brightness with my grim fate. With a silent sigh of longing, I turned away into the cold night. Some things were not meant to be. I could only admire her from afar, my lovely unattainable muse.

A warm hand pressed my shoulder, jolting me from the daze. “Rhys, are you sure you’re alright?” my friend asked, brow furrowed in concern.

“I’m fine,” I mumbled, dragging my gaze from Seraphina to Asmoday’s fierce eyes.

Asmoday hesitated before patting my back and rejoining the revelry. Alone again, I let the façade slip, fear and uncertainty crashing over me. Being a stone guardian was my legacy—gargoyles, mughals called us. I took pride in my heritage, but the thought of being locked into eternal stone haunted me greatly.

I shivered. Graduation loomed, and time slipped away too fast. I had to break this curse... or be condemned to unending darkness.

“Hey… You there!” the bartender called out. I turned to see his grim expression, a stark contrast to the pub’s merriment. He leaned in close, barely audible over the din. “I have a message for you.”

My pulse roared in my ears. The sorcerer hadn’t come, but a message... this changed everything. Hope kindled dangerously within me as I took the rolled parchment he offered.

The hastily scrawled words made my heart race. The sorcerer was being followed, he’d written. He asked to meet in Blackthorn’s copse instead. Here at last was a ray of light in my darkness. The key to breaking this curse was within reach.

I had to act swiftly. Carefully folding the parchment, I slipped the bartender some coins. “Thanks,” I murmured, mind already leaping ahead. The sorcerer, the copse... freedom.

With no time to lose, I pushed through the throngs of revelers, their laughter grating against my dark purpose. Seraphina’s delicate face lingered in my mind, a poignant reminder of all I risked losing to this vicious curse. It had tainted every aspect of my life, filling even joyful moments with bitter melancholy.

The din of the pub faded behind me as I stole across the moonlit grounds towards the woods. A thousand scenarios raced through my mind, each more fantastic than the last. Would the sorcerer truly have the power to break my curse? Or was this meeting just another doomed grasping at false hope?

I dared not give reign to optimism, and yet... hope bloomed traitorously in my heart. Every shadow seemed rife with possibility, my fate teetering on the verge of glorious change.

All too soon, the silent stand of trees loomed before me. I slipped between the skeletal branches, ears straining for any sign of life. “Hello?” I called softly. “Are you there?” Only the rustle of leaves answered.

Unease slithered down my spine. I circled the copse, searching for some sign of the sorcerer. Had I missed him? Or had he too fallen prey to misfortune? The woods were dangerous, riddled with lethal monsters—but being one myself, I hardly gave a damn.

A distant snap of breaking wood jerked me around, heart lurching. “Wait!” I cried desperately, rushing towards the sound. I crashed through the underbrush, ignoring the brambles tearing at my clothes. Please, let it be him!

Bursting past a dense thicket, I skidded to a halt, chest heaving. But there was nothing. Only more silent trees, standing sentinels in the moonlit mist. Despair crashed over me, bitter as gall. I’d been foolish to hope, foolish to think my wretched fate could be altered.

A rasping cackle split the silence. I whirled to see a stooped figure detach itself from the shadows. Stringy white hair framed a face wrinkled with malice—the sorcerer.

“Poor cursed creature,” he crooned, shuffling closer. “Did you really think I could help you?” His rheumy eyes glinted with cruel delight.

I stumbled back warily. “You promised me a cure...”

“Oh, I have a cure, yes. Pity you won’t live to see it!” Cackling, he produced a wicked dagger and lunged at me with shocking speed.

I pivoted aside, the blade grazing my arm. Rage boiled up, familiar and bitter—how many times had charlatans attacked me for my gargoyle parts? I’d lost count. My claws and wings were prized in their noxious brews and spells.

The sorcerer slashed at me again. “Hold still, beast! Your claw will prove most useful.”

With an inhuman roar, I caught his arm and flung him hard against a tree. The dagger fell from his grasp. I pressed my forearm to his scrawny throat, claws poised dangerously over his hammering heart.

“Go on then,” he choked out, madness dancing in his eyes. “Kill me!”

My arm trembled with fury and despair. Slaying this wretch would not alter my fate. With a guttural cry, I released him.

The sorcerer collapsed, wheezing. Then his hands twisted in an ornate gesture and he screamed words in a language unknown to me.

I braced myself, but no magic struck.

“Your enchantments cannot touch one cursed already,” I sneered grimly as I lumbered closer.

Dread flooded the sorcerer’s features as I fully shifted, fangs bared and claws unsheathed. One swipe would end this miserable soul’s life. But no, I restrained the bloodlust rising inside me.

My menacing face drew inches away from his. “Go now, while I allow it!” I roared.

The sorcerer scrambled back in terror. I watched his cowardly retreat until the sounds faded, leaving only the mournful sigh of wind through bare branches.

A harsh breath escaped me. Fists clenched, I fell to my knees, fighting the burn of forthcoming tears. Graduation edged closer by the hour. I was running out of time and luck both. This curse would claim me in the end. Not even all the magic in the world could prevent that.