The Complete Gargoyle and Sorceress Boxset (Books 1-9)

by Lisa Blackwood

  She was standing in the base of a tower, and by a quick count, there were fourteen floors above this one. Walkways with beautifully carved stone railings guarded each of the stories. From what she could see, each level had four doors like this one.

  “This tower serves as the living quarters for the Battle Goddess’s captains and top-ranking soldiers,” Gryton said and gestured toward a door directly ahead of them. “You and the gargoyle child will live here.”

  As they started forward again, the guards standing at either side of the massive wooden door opened it and bowed as Gryton led her and the kid inside. Their sudden arrival sent the servants into deep bows as well.

  It wasn’t lost on Anna that the servants looked distressingly human, unlike most of the captains and soldiers.

  “Shadowlight,” Anna projected along their mental link, “those servants look human. Are they?”

  “Yes,” he agreed. “There are many humans in the Magic Realm. Though nowhere near as many as live back on your Earth. Some, like these servants, have been conquered. Others are allies of neighboring kingdoms, but all of them descend from humans that were brought here long ago.”

  Yep. Slaves. That’s what she thought.

  After assessing that the servants were no threat, she took in the room and held back a low whistle. This room would put a five-star hotel to shame. Well, maybe if everything wasn’t in a shade of black or burgundy, that is. But it was still a damn sight better than the dungeons. There were also five other rooms leading off this main chamber.

  “Feel free to look around,” Gryton said. “This is where you and the cub will stay for as long as you behave. If you do something foolish, know that your cell in the dungeons will be made available for your use.”

  Was that a joke? Shit, Tin Man had a teeny, shriveled bit of humor buried somewhere deep inside him. Who knew? It still doesn’t make me like him any better, though.

  “Yeah, thanks,” she said. “We’ll behave, won’t we Shadowlight?”

  For now, she added silently.

  Shadowlight was already stalking toward the nearest of the five rooms that branched off this one. His ears were forward, his tail stiff and unmoving. He was hunting for danger. Anna joined him in scouting out the rooms for unseen perils.

  The two smallest side chambers were for servants. The middle room was a bathroom. It was one of foreign design but still a bathroom, with levers that produced hot and cold water. There was also some kind of stone bench thing she was sure was a toilet complete with running water. Hallelujah, fantasyland had indoor plumbing.

  She left Shadowlight playing with the levers that filled the big pool that served as a bathtub and wandered out to investigate the last two rooms. She checked out the one on the right first. It was the size of a master bedroom, decorated in the usual black and burgundy.

  Was the Battle Goddess allergic to other colors, or something?

  Anna wandered into the last room and found this one was designed to be a mirror image of the room on the right. Except for one oddity. There was an extra door along the west wall.

  Curious and still hunting for possible dangers, she wandered over and tried the handle. It opened easily, and Anna was staring into yet another bedroom.

  What the hell? Was this place designed with a rabbit’s warren in mind?

  Her eyes narrowed a moment later when she noticed this room had a much more lived-in feel. There were books and scrolls and even a few weapons and articles of clothing lying around.

  She turned to Gryton with an eyebrow arched in question.

  “The Battle Goddess made it clear that if anything happened to you or the gargoyle, she would take her rage out on my hide.” Gryton gestured at the lived-in bedroom. “I like my own hide, so this door leads to my chambers. I’ll be close enough should there be a problem that requires my attention.”

  Oh fuck.

  “You sleep?” She asked just to have something to say.

  “Only for short times, but yes. Don’t worry, I will know if either you or Shadowlight plan to murder me in my sleep.”

  “I’ll try to restrain myself.” Even though murdering Gryton would be a considerable temptation.

  “This arrangement also has the benefit of keeping you and the cub safe in case one of the soldiers happens to drink away their reason and decide to come for a visit. Gargoyle blood is potent with magic, and there are many in the Battle Goddess’s army with a thirst for it. And yet others might come seeking something else since you are a beautiful female, human though you are. Males will be interested even with the Battle Goddess’s warning.”

  Gryton took a step closer, entering Anna’s bubble of personal space. This close, she noticed a ring of amber circled his irises. Humor and perhaps a touch of heat glimmered in his dark gaze.

  If he came any nearer, he was going to regret it, armor or no.

  The commander sidestepped her like he was merely moving past and said, “However, even the drunkest of soldiers isn’t so foolish as to enter my lair uninvited.”

  “Congrats on instilling a thimbleful of respect into them,” Anna said in a bored voice.

  Gryton halted and stared down his regal nose at her. He was taller than an average human male, but still not so tall she’d let his physical presence cow her. She held her ground.

  A thump and a door crashing open somewhere in the room beyond was the only warning they got before Shadowlight came bounding into the room. He jerked to a stop and growled unhappily before continuing to prowl forward. Wedging himself between them, Shadowlight sat on his haunches and leaned against Anna while his tail wrapped around her ankles, then he proceeded to glower up at Gryton with a low, continuous growl.

  Subtle, gargoyles weren’t.

  Gryton’s expression shifted into open humor as he began to laugh. “Do not fear, cub. I have no interest in forcing a female. If I should want one, there are many to choose from.”

  Shadowlight’s huff sounded unconvinced, and he continued to stare at Gryton as if deciding which part to eat first.

  Shrugging, Gryton drew back and turned to leave. “With your loyal dog acting as guard perhaps you won’t need my protection after all.”

  Anna returned Gryton’s smile with a chilly one of her own. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ve lots of experience fending off assholes with grabby hands and the occasional officer who thought a female soldier should perform some duties on her back. Funny, they never tried a second time.”

  Shadowlight’s grumblings increased in volume, and his tail snapped against the floor every two seconds while he glowered at Gryton.

  Tin Man laughed, finding Shadowlight’s antics entertaining. Then he reached out to muss the young gargoyle’s mane. Shadowlight was so taken by surprise Gryton had already withdrawn his hand before the kid thought to bite.

  “The servants will bring you your food soon,” Gryton said, leading them back out into the main room. “If you wish, bathe first, but afterward rest. I will return to collect you at dusk.”

  He turned and strode out into the hall. Anna heard as he paused long enough to issue orders to the guards and then he was briskly walking away.

  “Tin Man’s gone. I call dibs on the bathroom. I still smell like the stables.”

  Shadowlight wrinkled his nose. “You do. Did you roll in a puddle of horse pee?”

  “No, but I might as well have.” Anna sniffed at herself. Yeah, it was way past time for a shower or bath if that’s all fantasyland possessed. “I’m going to go soak for a freaking long time.”

  “I saw clean clothes in the bathing chamber laid out for you.”

  While Anna knew it was a psychological trick to soften her up to their ways, she wouldn’t turn down hot water, clean clothes or food.

  “Stay out of trouble,” she ordered.

  Shadowlight nodded, his mane flying up and down with over-exaggerated motion.

  “I’m serious. No exploring outside these rooms.”

  Shadowlight’s entire being drooped, his ru
mp hit the floor, and his front end slowly slid down to join it. With a long-suffering sigh, he dropped his head onto his forearms to rest while he waited for her to finish.

  Chapter 10

  HER LONG SOAK WAS MORE like ten minutes. She didn’t like the idea of servants, or worse, Gryton, just wandering in at any old time. Plus, she was uneasy leaving the kid to his own devices for more than a few minutes in this place.

  She exited the bathroom still squeezing water out of her braids with a soft towel. Her new clothing consisted of baggy pants made of some light flowing material, a long tunic with three-quarter length sleeves, and a wide sash that circled around her waist like a belt.

  If there was any particular way to tie the sash, she didn’t give a crap. They could call the fashion police on her. The garments were all the same monochrome. A pale sky blue. There was a bit of embroidery stitched over the tunic’s breast in a black and burgundy thread.

  Anna didn’t know what it represented, but she could guess: here stands a slave to the Battle Goddess.

  She fingered the stitching and her lips compressed. For now, she would wear what she was given and do what she was told, but all the while she would be seeking a way to escape.

  Which her enemies likely expected, but that didn’t mean she would give up.

  Upon exiting the bathroom, she found Shadowlight nodding where she’d left him. He wasn’t deeply asleep since his ears followed the sound of her footfalls, but he didn’t bother to stir himself from his spot either.

  “Go on, kid. It’s your turn and you don’t smell very fresh yourself. I’ll keep watch and let you know when the food arrives.”

  At the mention of food, his eyes snapped open and he stood, sniffing to catch any scent.

  When he didn’t discover anything of interest, he huffed in complaint but wandered into the room she’d just exited to see to his own bath.

  Anna nearly laughed at his lack of enthusiasm. Typical kid. More interested in food than getting a good scrub.

  Twenty minutes later servants returned carrying several platters of food. Anna separated one servant from the group and tried to talk to the middle-aged woman, but she merely shook her head and touched her lips to indicate she couldn’t speak.

  Strange. Anna knew they understood her because Gryton had issued orders in the same language, so they must be under orders not to talk to them. After all the food was laid out, the servants bowed and then left.

  Anna eyed the table. At least they’d been informed how much a young gargoyle could put away.

  “Shadowlight, the servants brought our meal,” she called through the door. An excited huff issued from inside and she heard a great sloshing and water hitting the floor. A short time later the door was nearly ripped off its hinges as a gargoyle burst forth into the main room.

  His hair was still dripping water, but he had donned a long, blue loincloth woven of the same fabric as her tunic. He hadn’t bothered to wear the wrist or armbands his father had given him.

  Her eyebrows drawing together, she turned and marched back into the drenched bathroom and retrieved Shadowlight’s warded jewelry and then shoved them under one of the nearby chair cushions for safe keeping. She didn’t trust someone not to take them.

  When she made her way back over to the table, the platters had been uncovered, and Shadowlight was already sniffing at the fourth dish in line.

  Bless his suspicious little heart.

  “Do you detect any taint of drugs or other substances?” Anna asked along their mental link.

  “No,” he said, but his reply was accompanied by a little uncertain flick of his ear. “But I’m unfamiliar with some of their scents and spices.”

  He sniffed deeper at the platter he was holding.

  “They won’t poison us with the intent to kill. It would defeat the purpose of capturing us. That doesn’t mean they’re not above drugging us to make us more compliant with their wishes.”

  Anna scooped up a dish of what looked like stew and sniffed at it. Her stomach chose that moment to remind her that she hadn’t eaten in hours.

  “We’re dead if we don’t eat,” Anna said and then shrugged and grabbed the strange, two-pronged fork that sat next to the platter with the bowls of stew. Then with stew and fantasyland spork, she retreated to the north side of the room where she’d spotted the thickly padded benches in an earlier search. Shadowlight joined her with two platters of his own food.

  The thought of drugs didn’t stop her and the kid from polishing off the first course and going back for seconds and thirds in Shadowlight’s case. Shortly after she and the kid were finished, the servants returned like magic. They gathered up all the dishes and left as silently as they’d come.

  The next hour was spent exploring the rooms in more detail. Exploring soon descended into a disagreement as to which one of them would take the room that adjoined to Gryton’s quarters. Anna was dead set on taking that room because she didn’t trust Gryton any farther than she could toss his heavy, metal-covered ass.

  Unfortunately, Shadowlight wanted the room for the same reason.

  “Fine. We’ll settle this like adults,” Anna said as she leaned against the door causing all the contention. “Which one of us is more likely to cross that threshold and try to kill Gryton and get both our asses tossed back in the dungeon?”

  Shadowlight continued to level his death glare at the door.

  “There! Hah! That look is answer enough. I sleep in this room. You get the other one. If either of us hears something we don’t like, we call out using our mental link. Agreed?” Anna stated, already knowing she’d won the argument by the way Shadowlight’s ears drooped.

  Then he surprised her by walking over to a massive wardrobe and gave it a mighty shove. It was a floor to ceiling wooden storage unit that was a good fifteen feet long and likely weighed close to a ton. When Shadowlight shoved his shoulder against it a second time, Anna figured out what he was up to and joined him in pushing it to block the adjoining door.

  “Good plan. It won’t stop a raging fire elemental, but neither will it be a quiet entry.” And it might be enough to give the kid some peace of mind while he slept, and that was good enough for her.

  With a bit more shoving and pushing, they got the beast situated in front of the door and then sat on the edge of the bed to admire their work. Shadowlight yawned and stretched when they were finished.

  “Go on,” she said with an affectionate pat on his shoulder. “Get some rest. I’ll be here if you need anything.”

  Shadowlight nodded, but still didn’t leave.

  “Will you read to me until I fall asleep?” He shoved his muzzle under her hand, so she gave his ears a good scratch.

  During their earlier exploration, she’d found a few ancient handcrafted books. She’d marveled at their drawings and the fancy script, but while they were quite beautiful to behold, she couldn’t read a word of it.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t have anything to read to you.” Anna gave his ears another scratch.

  He nodded but glanced sidelong at her with a hopeful look. “Would you tell me a story then?”

  Poor kid just wanted to hear a familiar voice to reassure him. “Sure kid.”

  They relocated to his room where she proceeded to tell a very sad-assed version of Snow White. She only made it halfway through the story before the kid fell asleep. If Anna survived, she’d take a parenting course or some shit, so she didn’t totally ruin a perfectly good kid with her abysmal parenting skills. When she was satisfied he was deeply asleep, Anna returned to her own rooms and fell face first into her bed.

  Chapter 11

  ANNA WASN’T AT ALL sure she wasn’t already asleep and dreaming when the beautiful male voice first started whispering in her head.

  “They will enslave you and the child if you remain in the Battle Goddess’s domain.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know,” Anna replied to the disembodied voice. Because, really, what did one do when an otherworldly voice insi
sted on whispering into your mind? Why, you answered it, of course, like any good mental patient would do.

  Unfortunately, she wasn’t mentally ill and the voice, wherever it originated, was likely very real. It was also equally likely that it wasn’t looking out for her best interests.

  She wondered which of the captains this was. Gryton was familiar enough now that she was relatively confident she’d recognize his voice in her head.

  “You don’t have to allow that to happen,” the stranger whispered.

  Oddly, he didn’t make her gargoyle instincts flare in warning like most of the denizens of the Battle Goddess’s domain did. Anna decided to pursue this strange exchange just to see if she could later place which one of Gryton’s henchmen this was.

  “You have it within yourself to find freedom.”

  Well, that was a line of bullshit if ever she heard one.

  “The Lady of Battles cannot hold ones such as you and the child.”

  Anna rolled her eyes. “Looks like she’s doing a pretty good job.”

  “Only because you are too afraid to find your way to me.”

  She was done with mystical beings spouting bullshit. “Unless you plan on a rescue, screw off.”

  “Unfortunately, I am not permitted to enter the Lady of Battles domain.”

  “Okay then. Bye.”

  “However, the duality curse runs both ways. She can enter my domain no more than I can enter hers. If you come to me, you will be free of her manipulations.”

  “And, yet, you’re in my head.”

  “Because as much as she seeks to bend you and the youngling to her will and lay claim to the power in your blood, you are gargoyles. And gargoyles have ever been mine to command.”

  Duality curse. Master of gargoyles. Anna wasn’t up on all her fantasyland mythology, but she’d heard enough from the Avatars as well as Shadowlight to now have a solid idea of who, or rather, what she was talking to.

  Death. The Lord of the Underworld. Master of all gargoyles.