Free Knights-of-Stone-Bryce by Lisa Carlisle

hesitance, senses flaring with awareness.
    “Bring me a map,” Duncan ordered no one in particular. One of the sentries brought him parchment that he unrolled to reveal a map of the U.K.
    Duncan studied it before he said. “I heard stories in my youth of spirits that haunted the cave but thought it was only a myth.”
    “What have you heard, Duncan?” Lachlan asked. Wariness edged his voice.
    “Her descriptions sound like the sluagh .”
    “The sluagh ?” Bryce repeated, echoing her question. She’d never heard of them.
    “Aye. The unholy hosts of the darkest of souls. I’ve heard tales of them haunting the Highlands, before my time. Stalking to hunt victims during the darkness of night.”
    “Why would they return now after all these years?” Bryce asked.
    “Good question. They may have slipped back through this realm.” Duncan tapped his fingers on his chin. “Some say they guard a portal to another world.” His tone turned grave. “Someplace I’d never want to see.”
    Mairi pictured a scene worse than hell. It had to be if creatures like those demons existed there. From the grimace on the faces of many gargoyles, she imagined they envisioned their own version of such a place.
    “If that’s what is spreading terror through the Highlands,” Lachlan began, “what can we do to stop them?”
    For a long pause, Duncan said nothing. Had he even heard Lachlan’s question?
    “Fight.” Duncan responded. “And pray it’s enough.”
    Although shivery tentacles wrapped around her spine, she wouldn’t be intimidated by the demons, again. “I will destroy them.” Lust for vengeance welled up in a flash, overtaking any sense. “They took everything from me. Everyone.”
    Duncan leaned forward. “Child, you have no chance on your own. And if they are terrorizing the Highlands, we must all try to stop them.”
    “How?” she asked, one part of her hopeful with their help, the other worried about dragging others into such danger.
    “We will send scouts, first. See what we’re up against.” In a grim voice, he added, “If they are what I fear, they won’t stop—unless someone stops them.”
    In the quiet that followed, the unsaid echoed in her mind. That someone would be them.
    The gargoyle named Malcolm paced. “How can we defeat them, Duncan? Are they immortal?”
    “That, I don’t know for sure. I never found any written references of them, just heard stories. If they’re immortal, we’d have to find another way. Force them back to whatever realm they slipped from.”
    Her gut clenched. How in bloody hell would they manage that?
    “Unless they have a weakness,” Duncan added.
    “Like what?” She leaned forward.
    “Good question,” he replied. “Vampires are immortal, but they can be destroyed by various means—decapitation, sunlight.”
    “How will we discover a weakness?” Bryce asked.
    “The only way we can,” Duncan replied. “Trial and error.”
    Several gargoyles groaned before all went silent in the chamber. It wasn’t the most foolproof of plans.
    For the next hour, Duncan and his enforcers debated the best tactics on how to hunt the demons, drawing on their experiences from other battles.
    “With your experience, our clan will follow your lead,” Lachlan said with a nod.
    “Unfortunately, my experiences have shown such battles lead to bloodshed and tragedy,” Duncan replied. “No one truly wins with so many losses on both sides.”
    Mairi’s stomach hollowed. Duncan was right. But what other choice did they have?
     
     
    Duncan had organized a group of four of his enforcers to survey the Smoo Cave and the location where Mairi’s clan was slaughtered for more clues as to how they’d organize the attack. While they surveyed, Bryce and the remaining gargoyles stockpiled weapons—anything that could inflict damage. In addition to swords and daggers, they incorporated other elements to aid in the challenge of facing the unknown. Silver coatings. Poison on sharpened