Oh, on a fundamental level, Anna knew Vaspara and Sorac were the enemy. She hadn’t forgotten that. Just compared to the blood witch, it was hard to get worked up about them.
Besides, she had bigger problems. One of them visited her dreams nightly now, able to slide right past her new powerful mental shields like they weren’t there.
Lord Death was a persistent sort. In the dream, the bodiless voice asked the same questions every night.
Did she wish to be a slave?
Or did she wish to be free?
The answers were no-brainers on the surface. Of course she didn’t want to be a slave. And, yes, she wanted to be free. And with each passing dream, she was even more certain Death’s version of ‘free’ was more along the lines of ‘free the soul from the body’ than freed from slavery.
Yep. Nope. No thanks.
So, each night she ignored the darkly seductive voice and each day she did what she needed to keep herself and Shadowlight alive. Though, not once had she stopped seeking a way free of this mess.
Every time she thought of escape, her mind circled back to that night over three weeks ago when Shadowlight had attacked Gryton, completely overwhelming his collar’s control for a short time.
While that entire episode had been a test concocted by Gryton to see if Shadowlight had leveled up in power, Anna was more interested in how the kid had overcome the collar and how soon he could do it again.
Each day, when the city slept while the sun was high in the sky, Shadowlight practiced calling his shadow magic without permission. At first, when Gryton had fitted him with his second collar, he hadn’t been able to accomplish much, but the stronger Shadowlight grew, the more he could resist and overcome even this new, stronger control collar’s influence.
They weren’t ready to make their escape just yet, but Anna was working on a plan. Each day they saved back foods that wouldn’t spoil and hid it in the base of their wardrobes. Soon they’d have enough supplies for the journey.
When they finally were ready to make their escape, they’d need to include the human family. After three weeks, Anna was sure the humans were trustworthy and wouldn’t willingly betray hers and Shadowlight’s escape plan, but that didn’t mean one of the captains wouldn’t be able to read their minds, so Anna was keeping them in the dark for now.
Once they were ready to make their escape, they’d inform the family and then flee with them. But that was at least a few days off. So, in the meantime, Shadowlight practiced his magic in the daytime and Anna embraced her flight lessons.
Staring down at her food, Anna continued to eat. It was another of the thick stews. Someone really needed to teach Cook a few new recipes.
As usual, Gryton sat to Shadowlight’s right. She still trusted Gryton only a touch more than she did the others, but so far, he’d earned her grudging trust since he’d never laid a hand on the kid in anger. Not even during the test when Shadowlight had tried to toss Tin Man’s ass through a wall.
“Vaspara, I’m not part of your meal,” Gryton said in a low voice, one not intended to carry beyond the high table. Though Anna’s gargoyle hearing had no trouble picking out the words even over the steady hum of conversation.
Vaspara sat up straighter and cursed softly.
“You may have the evening off to attend to your needs,” Gryton said between bites of food.
She apologized and quickly excused herself.
“Do I want to know what that was all about?” Anna asked. She didn’t want to seem too eager, but anything that changed routine was worthy of note.
“Vaspara has been spending much of her time tutoring or guarding you and the young gargoyle.” Gryton leaned forward so he could see her past Shadowlight’s larger mass. “It has suppressed her need to feed, dulling her hunger so to speak. But her succubus nature still needs to be fed, or she risks having her nature overwhelm her at inopportune times and attempt to drain power from another.”
Ah. Vaspara had tried to feed on Gryton and he’d gotten his knickers in a knot. As long as no one was preying on the kid, she didn’t care who ate whom.
Anna dismissed Gryton with a grunt and returned to her own meal.
“I’ll assign another to guard you tonight since the Lady of Battles requires me to report on your progress.”
Anna pretended she was more interested in her food than what Gryton had to say. It wasn’t the first time she and Shadowlight had been babysat by one of the non-mentor captains. In truth, Gryton, Sorac, and Vaspara were more focused and alert.
Oh, sometimes Sorac pretended sleepy boredom, but he missed nothing. Anna would bet her favorite dagger the blood witch was another who missed no detail. Thankfully, Gryton never left them alone with her.
Of her usual babysitters, Ninara and her twin brother, Honnan, were the most likely to let their guards down. A reaction Anna and Shadowlight had been cultivating by never giving their babysitters reasons to remain on guard.
Being willing and biddable went a long way to gaining trust.
Unfortunately, there were some new players Anna hadn’t interacted with enough yet to get a good read on their personalities. Three more captains had returned from whatever they were doing in the valley east of the fortress city.
Captains Rynar, Korsha and Bardorac were still completely unknown commodities. She hadn’t even figured out what species they were since she and Shadowlight hadn’t been in sniffing distance of the newly returned captains yet.
Anna weighed the odds. It was more likely Gryton would assign them one of their usual babysitters. Besides, the newcomers likely had a lot of tasks that needed their attention.
Anna continued to chew her food with outward bored indifference, but inside she was smiling. Looks like it was going to be another practice night.
“Honnan,” Gryton called down the table. “You will escort Anna and Shadowlight back to their chambers after last meal concludes.”
Bingo.
“As you wish, Commander.” The incubus didn’t sound thrilled, but he was obedient and always did as he was told without complaint.
“And Honnan,” Gryton added, a hint of fire lacing his words. “If you attempt anything foolish and Anna is forced to hurt you, she won’t be punished, but you will. Understood?”
Honnan grunted an affirmative.
Anna wasn’t concerned with him, though. He’d never tried anything before and now that she could assume full gargoyle form it tended to dissuade would-be admirers. Well, all except Gryton. His gaze still hinted that he’d like to explore a physical relationship with her, but he hadn’t pushed, and she still hadn’t seen a way to use his desire against him, so she just ignored him. Though, Anna hoped she and the kid got away before Romeo got impatient.
Gryton pushed back his seat and stood, pausing only long enough to transfer command of Shadowlight’s control collar to Honnan before he marched from the hall.
Honnan took Gryton’s seat and broke into an extracurricular history lesson.
Anna sighed. Who would have thought a sex demon would be so interested in dry old history, but he was, and Shadowlight was like a sponge, sucking up every bit of information because it might be useful one day.
A stranger teacher and student pairing Anna had never seen.
Eventually, the hall emptied, and Honnan’s lesson about a riot that took place in a small coastal community called Dark Sands came to an end and he ushered them out of the hall.
When they exited, he turned left not right.
Right was back to their chambers. Left was workrooms.
“Why are we going this way?” Shadowlight asked, adding a low growl.
“I need to retrieve something from my workroom and Gryton will have my head if I leave you unguarded to go retrieve it later.” Honnan’s tone was free of stress, but there was a hint of deception to his scent.
Shadowlight growled louder.
“Damn gargoyles. Can’t keep a secret from you to save my life. If you must know, I’m meeting someone. It won’
t take long, then you can both return to your chambers afterward.”
That was all true, but Anna didn’t trust him. There was more he wasn’t saying. Shadowlight didn’t have a choice. He’d have to follow and there was no way she was letting the kid go alone. So, glowering at Honnan, she followed him doggedly even knowing he might be leading them into a trap.
It wasn’t until they took another left, descended two flights of stairs, and then turned right down a dimly lit hallway that Anna recognized the area. A moment later, a draft wafted past and confirmed her fears.
The coiling scent of old blood grew steadily stronger with each step. Shadowlight snarled and Anna instinctively shifted to gargoyle form.
“Stop, both of you,” Honnan said with an annoyed huff. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t need something from her. Behave yourself, or I’ll order Shadowlight to imprison you in a cage of shadow magic.”
It wasn’t an idle threat. Since they’d both been training with the blood witch, their mastery of magic had greatly expanded. Unfortunately, Anna had only been a gargoyle for a few short weeks and her training wasn’t as advanced as the kid’s. If he was ordered to imprison her, he would. Unless he fought the collar. If he did that, they’d lose their advantage and once Gryton learned of it, he’d upgrade the collar again. Dammit.
“Shadowlight, unless we’re in danger, just go with whatever he says. We don’t want to reveal our cards yet.”
“I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand.”
He continued to growl softly.
As they walked closer to the blood witch’s workrooms, Anna’s unease grew, her gargoyle nature screaming a warning.
And then a familiar, darkly seductive voice was whispering in her waking mind. “They mean to enslave you.”
“What? You only figured that out now?” Using a sarcastic tone on Death might not be the brightest move, but it made her feel marginally better.
“Your bravado will not save you or the young gargoyle from what the blood witch plans to do to you.”
“She won’t risk Gryton’s or the Battle Goddess’s rage. She can’t kill us.”
“No, not kill. But she will lay claim to your souls. She plans to bind you to herself and the two demon siblings. Her power will take your souls and twist them in ways that even my sister would hesitate to use.”
Sweat trickled down Anna’s back. If what he said was true, they needed to escape and tell Gryton.
“Gryton is no savior. Come to me. Now. Before your souls are beyond even my ability to cleanse.”
With that slap of clarity, Anna knew they’d stayed too long. They’d been lulled by the Battle Bitch’s dark power and let their guards down. They should have attempted escape days ago.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
Anna fisted her hands, but they were already at the door leading to Taryin’s dark domain. Honnan shoved the ancient wooden door open with one shoulder and walked through, ordering Shadowlight to follow when the gargoyle balked.
Not about to let Shadowlight face the danger alone, she marched in and shoved her way between the two males and came face to muzzle with the blood witch.
Taryin brought her hands up, the sickly glow of blood magic circling her long elegant fingers.
“Why is the female gargoyle here? I only need the male for the spell.”
Honnan chuckled. “Shadowlight, capture and hold the female.”
“It’s okay Shadowlight. Don’t fight the collar until I tell you,” she sent along the link.
His trust in her was absolute and he obeyed her at once. He obeyed her, not the collar, Anna realized with a bit of shock.
The others in the room didn’t seem to notice the difference, so she made a show of snarling and fighting as Shadowlight shoved her into a cage created from his newly mastered shadow and blood magic.
Anna didn’t have to fake her displeasure at being locked into a cage while three captains remained outside with Shadowlight, but she needed the captains to think she wasn’t a threat.
“Shadowlight, we need to kill or incapacitate all of them. Starting with the blood witch. Lord Death says the blood witch is going to perform some ritual that will alter our souls in ways even he can’t cleanse. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a freaking good reason to fight.”
“I agree, but I don’t know if I can fight the collar and the witch at the same time.”
“You won’t have to. Just lure the witch next to the cage and then drop the spell when I say. Can you do that?”
“Yes,” he said, his voice full of trust and confidence.
Anna wouldn’t fail the kid. She’d see the witch neutralized even if it killed her.
“Shadowlight, I require a few drops of your blood,” Captain Taryin said. “It won’t even be enough for you to miss, but as you can see, I’ve been working on this one spell for days and it’s almost complete. I only need a bit of blood to finish it.”
The witch gestured toward the stone worktable at the center of the room. Last time there had been bowls of powders and dried herbs. This time there was a slowly rolling and twisting knot of magic floating two feet above the table. The magic shifted and shuddered and seethed as if the very air caused it pain. It reminded her of a school of fish attacked by some unseen predator.
Watching the seething mass made Anna vaguely nauseous.
“Stay here next to me. Make her come to you,” Anna instructed Shadowlight.
In answer, he settled on his haunches and leaned against the cage, alertly waiting but no longer growling.
Taryin had picked up a long-bladed dagger from her worktable and turned toward Shadowlight. Seeing his new posture, she smiled. “That’s a good boy. You’ll be able to release your Kyrsu from the cage shortly.
Shadowlight’s ears swung forward as if curious.
The blood witch had the audacity to pat him on the head, but the kid was on his best behavior and only flashed his fangs, which made the blood witch laugh a second time.
“That’s my gargoyle,” Taryin said as she brought the blade against Shadowlight’s forearm.
“Now,” Anna whispered into his mind.
Chapter 32
THE CAGE BARS SHIMMERED as they disintegrated into their separate shadow and blood magic components. Anna lunged through the swirling misty remains of her cage, calling on her own blades made of shadow and blood magic.
Shadowlight was half a second ahead of her and his blade-tipped tail stabbed the blood witch. Anna was on her a second later, one of her blades sliding in the back of Taryin’s neck, just under the skull.
With her spinal cord severed, the blood witch could only widen her eyes in surprise. Taryin made no sound as she slumped forward against her. Kicking her dead weight away, Anna leaped toward the startled Ninara.
“I’ve got this one. Honnan is all yours,” Anna instructed.
Ninara lashed out with a shimmering wave of offensive magic, but Anna retaliated with her own. Small voids of darkness appeared and shredded her enemy’s spells, unraveling them before they could touch her.
She rushed forward, using her wings and tail as weapons like Sorac and Shadowlight had drilled into her. Shredding Ninara’s spells, she closed the distance and wrapped her long, powerful fingers around the other woman’s throat, squeezing back her cry of alarm.
“The Battle Goddess was foolish to create beings as powerful as Shadowlight and me and think we’d be easy to control.” Anna dragged Ninara closer until they were breathing the same air. “We aren’t slaves. Why you thought you could control us, I have no idea.”
She glanced over at Shadowlight to see him slam Honnan into the floor. Not that she was concerned about the outcome. Sorac had already pitted Shadowlight against all his mentors, and Honnan hadn’t fared so well in the ring. He wouldn’t here either. Anna dragged the still struggling Ninara closer to her brother.
“Ninara, how much do you think Honnan cares? He seems indifferent to most, but I’d say he genuinely loves you.” Anna c
rouched next to Shadowlight and his prisoner. “Shall we find out?”
Anna flexed her talons and broke the skin on Ninara’s throat. “I know from Sorac’s lessons that beheading kills almost any opponent.”
Honnan’s mouth opened, and his lips moved, but nothing came out, not even breath.
“Kid, ease up on the grip before you pop his eyes out of his head. Besides, I think he wants to say something.”
Shadowlight eased up on the incubus’s throat but dug his talons into Honnan’s chest until blood pooled around each digit. If Honnan survived, and that was a big ‘if,’ he was going to bear a gargoyle’s talon marks on his pecs for days to come.
“Oh, and Honnan, if I were you, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to attempt to issue an order to Shadowlight. I saw him nearly put Gryton through a wall not that long ago and you and your sister strike me as more breakable than Tin Man.”
Honnan’s nostrils flared and he nodded ever so slightly.
“Are you going to behave?”
Another nod.
“Good, you’re going to surrender control of Shadowlight’s collar over to me and then he and I are going to imprison you and your dear sister.” Anna tapped her blade made of shadow and blood magic against his cheek. “You have my word we won’t kill you if you cooperate.”
Honnan nodded again. Good. So far, so good.
“Shadowlight, can you make another of those handy cages while I secure them?”
He nodded but didn’t release his hold on the other male until Anna had gagged and hog-tied him with layers of shadow magic.
Then she attended to Ninara in the same fashion. Once Shadowlight was finished constructing the cage, Anna dragged her captives over to it and tossed Ninara in. Anna removed the incubus’s gag. “No heroics. Just transfer the command spell.”
Honnan did, calmly uttering the foreign words she’d come to recognize from all the times she’d heard the spell spoken. When he was finished, Anna gagged him again and shoved him in a cage next to his sister. Shadowlight sealed them in.
The Complete Gargoyle and Sorceress Boxset (Books 1-9) Page 114
