Now she knew a fair bit about Gryton. Unfortunately, she also knew she couldn’t share this knowledge with her gargoyle protector just yet.
While Gregory might not consider the child Lillian carried a blasphemy since she hadn’t actually been the Sorceress at the time she’d conceived, it did not mean Gregory would see their eldest child in the same light.
Sacred vows had been shattered to bring Gryton into the universe.
But Gryton was more than broken vows, he was the product of her and her gargoyle’s love for each other. It was a forbidden love, but still no less pure for all that.
She refused to believe something born of that pure love could be as evil as they’d always been taught.
When she’d still been a hamadryad, she’d looked into Gryton’s mind. On the surface, his thoughts were all cold, hard edges, disdain, and ruthlessness. Under that had been a chaotic mix of desperation, hatred, and despair. Overlapping it all, threads of loneliness and a deep-rooted need to belong had run throughout and interconnected all those other darker emotions.
It was about what she’d have expected of a creature who had been hunted all his life and the only being in the entire universe willing to protect him and teach him had been the Lady of Battles.
But Daryna knew he existed now.
She would protect and guide him while she dug for the good; that potential he’d been born with, that she knew was still buried somewhere deep within. Convincing her other half might take almost as much time and care as teaching Gryton, but Gregory would see the truth in time.
Besides, Gryton was no more flawed than the Twins. And both Lord Death and the Lady of Battles had been created by Divine will and had nearly destroyed the universe in their last fight for dominion.
Gryton’s crimes were nothing when compared to the Twins’.
He’d slay a few humans in his quest to fulfill his mission...but their lives were already such swiftly burning embers, what did it matter that a few burned shorter than the rest? Death was just part of existence—had been since the Divine Ones had first commanded their Avatars to birth the Twins into the universe.
What were a few more lives in a world where over a hundred thousand mortals died each day?
If the Divine Ones had cared for all their creations, they shouldn’t have sat back and allowed the Twins to wage war against each other. They’d allowed the Lady of Battles to rampage long past when she should have been stopped.
If not for the Divine Ones’ misplaced compassion, the Battle Goddess would have been killed long ago so she could rejoin her beloved consort in the Spirit Realm. Perhaps even to one day return to the Magic Realm healed and whole.
But that wasn’t Daryna’s concern.
As for Lord Death, he’d always been a friend. She would regret having to destroy him as well, but while one twin lived, so too did the other. To kill one, both had to die.
It was part of their birthright, born at the same moment and of the same magic. The duality of the curse that prevented the Lady of Battles from escaping her temple was also powered by the same magic.
But the demigoddess had proven she could manipulate events far outside her own realm, even while still locked within her temple. As a punishment, the duality curse was not enough. She had to be stopped once and for all.
Daryna already knew her other half would not agree, she doubted if Lillian would either. Although, the soul link between them might make Lillian more malleable to Daryna’s plans over time. Perhaps.
Caution and secrecy would be best for now. She would study Lillian and Gregory, as well as their new allies to determine if any of them could be trusted with her plans or if she would have to act alone.
If she did have to act out her plan herself, she would still succeed. It would simply take a little longer. In the meantime, if she needed a distraction, she could pit Lillian and Gregory against each other. Though, the idea of setting them at odds sickened her.
They were one being—intended to have one unified focus, not a fractured relationship that created a divide between them. However, if setting Lillian and their beloved gargoyle against each other was the only way to save all the realms from the Battle Goddess’s treachery, Daryna would suffer the pain and do it.
That the Lady of Battles had nearly succeeded in taking command of Lillian using a demon seed only proved how dangerous the demigoddess had become. With or without her allies’ help, Daryna would overthrow the Battle Goddess and her twin, Lord Death, replacing them herself if she had to.
As Avatars of the Divine Ones, she and Gregory were certainly capable of filling those roles.
Then she had another thought. Their son might like the chance to usurp the Battle Goddess’s throne himself. She could think of none more deserving. If he proved to be what she believed him to be.
Chapter 4
ONCE DARYNA LEFT THE large stone cottage and surrounding gardens behind, she allowed herself to relax and enjoy the walk. She kept the concealment spell wrapped tightly around her body, though. To be discovered now would be...awkward.
She passed all manner of Clan, Coven and military personnel.
Luckily, her spells hid her from view as well as any gargoyle’s shadow magic. She continued into the night, following the garden paths to their ends and then farther out into the night-shrouded forest. She still had a couple of hours of darkness left, and Gregory would sleep for at least that long.
Once she deemed herself deep enough into the forest to hide the bright flare of power a transportation spell would release, Daryna called her magic to her. At her summons, a mix of raw spirit magic swirled ten feet in front of her where it combined with the warmer variety born of the Magic Realm.
A shimmering portal formed in the air and she crossed into it and emerged more than three day’s walk from where she had started. As soon as she emerged from the portal spell, she could sense Gryton’s presence.
Good. He hadn’t found a way free yet. That would certainly make it easier to talk to him. Had he somehow managed to escape, at least she’d already drank enough of his blood as a hamadryad to be able to track him anywhere.
But this was better than chasing her son all over the forest simply to have a chat with him.
She started forward again, weaving her way through a pleasantly scented boreal forest until she came to a cliff of rock where the bones of the earth poked up out of the ground. A few thousand years ago, a glacier had slid through the area and then later receded, leaving behind a few hills and valleys and the rocky terrain she now walked toward. She’d stashed Gryton away in one of the natural caverns that dotted the area.
Standing outside the narrow entrance to the cave, Daryna studied the primitive but eye-catching art that some ancient people had once drawn upon the stone walls. But no one had lived here for thousands of years. Well, not unless Gryton counted.
She ventured through the dark, narrow entrance. Squeezing past three separate outcroppings of stone and then picking her way carefully over the loose rubble, she finally emerged into the cavern beyond. The walls continued to widen the further back into the cavern she went.
Overall, one could make a fairly nice home here if one was to put some effort into it. Daryna hoped Gryton would see reason and wouldn’t have to stay here too long.
She clambered over a slope where the cavern floor humped up before smoothing into a flat, serviceable area that covered the rest of the cavern. Once she was over the last patch of rough ground, she called to life a glowing ball of light that hovered in her palm for a moment before she sent it floating out ahead of her.
The ball of magic burned like pure fire but needed no fuel beyond her own power. She directed it off to one side of the cavern and then summoned several more of the little balls into being.
The brighter light now revealed her son chained to the bare bedrock by coils of twisting and shifting power. She’d designed the spells to leech energy from him, preventing him from losing control of his magic but also to stop any attempts at
escape. Her spells had continued to strip his magic from him until the levels had stabilized.
For now, he was safe, but this intervention wasn’t a long-term solution. She’d have to begin teaching her son this night if he had any hope of surviving free of the Battle Goddess’s influence, as well as avoiding Gregory’s notice.
“I will destroy you. All those you love will know agony. This world will burn with my death!” He struggled, heaving himself a few inches off the ground. The magic tightened, roughly slamming him back down. But it only seemed to fuel his need to escape, and he continued to twist and thrash as he tried to snap the coils holding him.
After a long battle accompanied by snarled curses in a good two dozen languages, Gryton collapsed back to the ground and panted, his fit over for now.
Hmmm. Gryton did not seem like he would be the most willing of students.
Well, she would not be the first mother who had to deal with an unruly child.
She walked around him in a half-circle and then knelt next to him. He uttered something else unpleasant in a guttural tone that was actually rather impossible.
Daryna raised an eyebrow and then chuckled as he continued to spew venomous words at her. “Is that any way to talk to your mother?”
Reaching down, she flipped up his helmet’s visor.
Ah. His eyes. Hooded and intense, they were beautiful. Dark, liquid chocolate irises with a ring of flaming amber around the outside glowered back at her. The pupils were vertical, like a cat’s. Hmmm. Or a dragon’s.
Briefly, she wondered what form her soul had been clothed in when she’d conceived Gryton. Having one’s memories wiped was a great annoyance, but one she wouldn’t allow to get the better of her. She would recover as much knowledge as she could and put it to good use.
But first, she would just drink in the sight of her and Durnathyne’s son.
“You are beautiful,” she said and took in the sight of his smooth, pale skin and high cheek bones where they sloped down into perfectly sculpted cheeks and jawline. Presently, his lips were marred by a sneer, which she ignored. From what she could see that wasn’t hidden by the rest of his helmet, he possessed a mane, black and thick and sleek, unlike his father’s somewhat unruly one.
She fingered a bit that had escaped the edge of his helmet. It was soft. The only softness she could find. His eyes had narrowed dangerously, and his lips pulled back from his fangs. He suddenly drew in a deep breath and a rumble built in his chest.
Daryna placed a single finger across his lips. “Before you try to breathe fire on me, there are a few things I’d like to say, my beautiful one.”
Her actions or words seem to surprise him, for he held himself still and watched her with some uncertainty showing in his expression.
“I truly am sorry your father and I could not have been there when you were first born to guide and train you in the use of your powers. The Divine Ones recalled us to the Spirit Realm and wiped our memories within moments of your birth. But I am here now. I will teach you what you need to know to survive and control your power.”
To add credence to her words, she waved a hand at the coils of magic holding Gryton down, and they vanished, freeing him. While he was still too shocked by her words and actions to even think to escape, she continued.
“My aid comes freely, and I require nothing of you in return. However, if you come to trust me and are willing to assist me, we can achieve greatness together. If the Lady of Battles is allowed to continue as she has, she will rampage across all three realms until her madness and twisted grief destroys all creation. I do not plan to allow that to happen.”
She stood and then held out a hand to him. He stared at her offer of help but did not take it, instead rolling swiftly to his knees and standing without aid.
He towered over her, but she did not feel threatened.
His chest still rose and fell rapidly from his earlier exertions, but he did not attack.
“Why?” The word came out in a growl.
“Why am I willing to help you? Or why am I willing to go after the Battle Goddess?”
Gryton tilted his head and studied her. “Both.”
“Because I am your mother. That is reason enough. But if you want more it is also because I think the Divine Ones were wrong in their judgment. My gargoyle protector and I have served the Light since the beginning. We have never served our own desires over the needs of the Light. But in our last life, we chose differently and were punished for our choice. I can see that in your memories.”
Gryton took a step back as if that small distance was enough to prevent her from seeing into his mind. It wasn’t. “Durnathyne and I chose to create you. I do not know the full reason, but I can guess. Even then we knew where the Battle Goddess’s madness would lead.”
Her son reached up and slammed his visor back into place and then half turned, like he was planning to leave—or more likely flee.
“You are my son. I fully believe that no child born from the Avatars great love for each other could ever be inherently evil. I offer you my loyalty, love, and knowledge freely. I will train you. You are not evil, no matter what the Battle Goddess has taught you to believe. You did not choose to be the way you are. You were given no choice. You protected yourself the only way you could, aligning yourself with the only one who would offer you shelter.”
He laughed and continued away, heading for the tunnel that would lead to freedom. “I am not some soft innocent in need of your protection.”
“No,” Daryna agreed. “But you do need training. A great deal more training to reach your full potential and to learn how to hide completely from my other half. Your father is set in his ways. It will take some time before he is ready to meet you.”
Gryton halted but kept his back to her. “You would pit yourself against your other half? For me? Why?”
“Because it is a parent’s role to raise, guide and train their offspring in order that the young one is skilled enough to survive in the world. But I also believe it is a parent’s duty to love their child as well.”
“Love?”
His snort of disdain was at odds with the wellspring of need she felt rising from him. Like any child, he’d craved his parents love at one point. He’d since buried that need, but it was still there under layers and layers of disdain.
“However, I do not need to pit myself against my other half in this. He will not need to know this for a while. Only once you are trained, and I have overthrown the Lady of Battles and the Lord of the Underworld, will I introduce Gregory to his son. He will see what I have already seen, that you are not without redemption.”
“He’s tried his hardest to kill me each time we’ve met,” Gryton pointed out. But Daryna noticed he’d turned and walked back toward her. “Somehow, I don’t think the one who sired me will ever greet me with...open arms.”
“Not yet, no. But you inherited some of his memories. You know we chose to bring you into being; it wasn’t an accident.”
“Am I supposed to thank you for starting my miserable existence?” Gryton’s tone was incredulous.
“I...do not believe that was our intention.” What could she say to that? She had no memories of her own, only those few chaotic ones Gryton had inherited from his father.
“For whatever comfort it gives, I think you meant to leave me a gift of all your memories and knowledge,” Gryton said. “You knew you would not be able to train me yourselves once the Divine Ones discovered what you planned. Moments after I awoke and took my first breath, I felt a great spell ripped away from my grasp and shattered across the Magic Realm. Moments after that the first of the gargoyles came to slay me.”
Gryton pulled off his helmet and braced one fist against his hip. “I know well what the Divine Ones think of me. And the gargoyle legion. And Lord Death. I don’t know why I told you this.”
Suspicion entered his gaze.
“I have woven no spell over you. Unless honesty has that same power.”
Gryton
grunted in a very Gregory-like manner.
But Daryna sensed a softening in his resolution. “One day, if you’re amenable to it, I would like to glean more of our last life from what memories you did absorb before the spell was destroyed. Then, when it is time, I will share them with Gregory.”
“Don’t you fear what the Divine Ones will do to you? They wiped your memories once.”
“Yes. But they did not unmake us. They didn’t even demote us, as it were. We are still their Avatars. Perhaps they have allowed us to return this time to do what they themselves could not.”
“To kill the Lady of Battles and the Lord of the Underworld? You actually believe that.”
“Yes.”
“But why should I trust anything you say?”
Daryna stood and raised her arms away from her sides and turned her palms out, showing them empty of any weapon, be it magical or cold steel. “Look within my mind for the truth. I know no other way to reassure you.”
She lowered the shields, both physical and mental, that surrounded and protected her.
Gryton’s nostrils flared in surprise, but he swiftly stepped up to her and pulled off one gauntlet and then the glove underneath. His strong fingers closed upon her jaw and even as he closed his eyes, his magic reached into her, seeking all that she was.
His soft, quickly drawn breath told her when he found her memories, her present thoughts, and plans. And also, her devotion to him. Family. He was family. The one thing she’d always wanted but could never truly have until him.
After long moments, Gryton released her jaw. His eyes blinked open, and he just stood, silent and staring for long moments.
“Are you ready to accept my offer of training?”
He sat cross-legged on the floor. Once he was settled comfortably, he looked up at her. “I will allow you to teach me. If you later think to betray me, I will return the favor. What lesson shall we start with?”
“Why, the first one.” And so Daryna did, settling to sit cross-legged opposite him.
She had less than three hours to begin his training, but Gryton proved an able student. By the time the sky to the east had taken on a pinkish hue, he’d already learned better ways to harness and control his power without leashing it so tightly that it fought him to be free.
The Complete Gargoyle and Sorceress Boxset (Books 1-9) Page 81
