Chapter 25
Reveal
She helped him step over the side of the enclosure and under the spray of warm water. The upper part of his wings got hung up on a bar that ran overhead, forcing him to duck underneath it.
Once inside, Garenth closed his eyes to savor the feel of it cascading over his face and chest. For a brief moment he forgot about his injuries, forgot about his monstrous appearance, forgot about the mother idol and his fate. All that mattered was the wetness he could luxuriate in.
Bending slightly over, he sighed as the water sluiced over his wounded shoulder. There was no pain. The heat seemed to penetrate through the stone, leaving him content and relaxed. As the steam rose inside the narrow enclosure, he braced his hands on the tiled wall in front of him and wished he could remain there for hours.
Brielle stood on the other side of the open curtain. She continued to talk to him, even though he was only able to understand bits and pieces of her conversation. Sometimes it was difficult to understand what she meant, even when the magic rock managed to interpret her words, most of which were indistinguishable to him. But it wasn’t the conversation that fascinated him. It was the woman. This brave and brazen woman who went out of her way to help him.
Brielle spoke again. The magic rock said, “Turn.” Turn?
Her hands reached out and tugged on his arm. She wanted him to turn around. He did, bumping his wings against the wall as he presented his back to the warm rain.
At some point she had left the bathroom while he’d been distracted and returned with a metal instrument. He stared at the relatively small item as she reached out toward him with it in her hand and scraped the front of his chest with it. The softened stone cracked and flaked off. A little more scratching, and a section the size of his palm broke away and fell into the basin by his feet. She poked at the skin that was revealed with her fingertip, then smiled at him.
“Skin. Your skin,” the magic rock said.
Looking downward, he ran a hand over the exposed area. Tentatively, he tried to pick at the edges, when the middle talon unexpectedly snapped. Garenth held up the dangling claw and stared at it for a few seconds. Before Brielle could comment, he grabbed it with his other hand and tore it from the finger.
The tip of a human finger stuck out from within the core.
He shoved his partial hand under the water and began to tear away the other talons. The act made crackling sounds, audible above the steady hiss of the shower. As he pulled off the glove-like covering, he almost marveled at the sight of his human hand appearing in its stead. A thin film of something clear but lined with what could have been minute blood vessels covered his skin, protecting it against the chafing the rocky exterior would cause. As he broke through the film, blood droplets, struck by the spray, splattered on him, the wall, and the curtain. Brielle threw up an arm to keep it from hitting her in the face.
He tore away the talons from his other hand as the warm water bathed his newly exposed skin. His human skin. His human, real self. Brielle laughed joyfully and threw the fork into the other smaller basin. Stepping into shower with him, she reached up to his chest and picked at the softened rock.
Garenth slammed his hand on one arm. The stone surface cracked, enabling him to peel it from his body. Pieces of stone made clinking sounds as they fell into the larger basin, the pile growing around their feet.
She gave him another tug, urging him to turn around again. He ducked his head underneath the water, when he felt her pull heavily on one wing. There was a flash of minimal pain, followed by an overwhelming itch. He glanced over his shoulder to see her standing there with the detached wing. She dropped it beside her and grabbed the other wing. Two hard tugs, and it came off his back with a slurping sound. She stared at his back, then glanced up at him and smiled. Tossing the other wing to the side, she proceeded to claw at the remaining façade covering him.
Bracing himself against the wall, he let the water continue to soak the stone helmeting his head and face. That would be the ultimate test, the ultimate reveal. The rest of it was gradually coming off. It was taking some effort, but Brielle’s instincts to let the water soften his exterior had been correct.
He groaned softly as she picked and peeled away the fragments. It was a combination of pain and relief, then nearly unbearable itch followed by more relief. And when the water hit his fresh skin, there was a feeling of cleansing he’d never imagined.
The place looked like a battlefield. Blood covered the walls and curtains. There was so much debris from his shedding that the water was backing up inside the basin. It was now well past their ankles.
Brielle worked over his buttocks, continuing down the back of his legs. Peering downward, he watched as she crouched to clear his calves. She hesitated when she reached his other wound. Moving with greater care, she lifted a section of stone and stared at it. He watch with curiosity at the look of astonishment that came over her face, then she glanced up at him. Instead of reaching for her magic talking stone, as he’d expected her to do, when she stood she held the portion of rock out for him to see and pointed to something protruding from it. He took the portion from her as she grabbed the talking rock.
“No harm. Safe. Rock skin stop harm.” There was more she’d said, but that’s all he could gain. However, it was enough. He understood. Whatever the guard’s strange sword tried to do to him, his rock exterior had stopped it from causing serious damage.
He dropped the portion and straightened, reaching for the water-soaked stone covering his wounded arm. By now the rock had thoroughly absorbed enough to the point where it was almost like moist clay, allowing him to drag away the grittiness. He dug into it with his fingers, when he encountered something hard. Curious, he fished around for it, finally pulling it out and holding it up for Brielle to see. She gave a little cry of surprise and happiness, and plucked it from him.
“Boo-let!” she announced, adding a few more words he didn’t comprehend. “Boo-let!”
He started to reply when he felt his face shift. A look of shock came over her, followed immediately by wonder, then curiosity. She reached up as he clawed at the horrifying visage that covered his eyes and nose, pulling off one of the ears from the side of his head. Garenth opened his mouth again, and the elongated teeth from his lower jaw fell out.
He held his breath and removed the wide, flattened nose. The heavy, browed forehead dangled momentarily, then tumbled into the rising water around his legs, hitting it with a splash. As the mask eroded under the steady stream, he felt a new sensation come over him. It was almost like a rebirth, as if the gods had forgiven him and offered him the gift of life once more.
Shoving his head beneath the spray, he washed the last of the stone fragments from his head and neck, then turned to look at Brielle. He had to see her reaction to his real self.
Her eyes widened, and a warm smile lifted her lips. Slowly, she scanned his body from top to bottom before returning to his face. After a few more heartbeats, she reached up again, touching his head and running her fingertips over the crown. Garenth started as he realized his long locks were gone.
He shoved aside the curtain so he could see his reflection in the shiny shield hanging on the wall. A totally bald face, almost unrecognizable after so many thousands of years, stared back. He’d not only lost the hair on his head, but his eyebrows and eyelashes as well.
Brielle spoke, stepping out of the basin. From her tone and gestures, he could tell she was concerned about the mess they’d made, but she didn’t appear to be upset. She paused and glanced back up at him, her eyes taking in again his new and radically different appearance.
Without her knowledge, without her help, he realized this moment would not have come. Because of her, he was a man again, and not some monstrous effigy. Because of her, he had regained his humanity.
He reached out and snagged her arm, drawing her closer to the basin. He wanted to tell her what this moment meant to him. He wanted to convey his gratitude and his thanks. But more than anything, he wanted…he needed…
Their faces were less than a hand’s breadth apart as he gazed into her golden brown eyes. A silent plea passed between them, and he lowered his head as she lifted her chin.
Their lips met, and for the first time in eons he was filled with joy.