There was something more behind the words.
Oh, God. What had the kid bargained to save her life?
“Normally the Avatars lead my armies,” Lord Death’s voice wrapped around her, warm and strangely comforting. “However, the gargoyle half of that pair has been ignoring my summons. Now I wait to see if the female half will honor our old friendship.”
I wouldn’t hold your breath if I were you, she thought to herself.
The Lord of the Underworld chuckled, then broke into a deep, quaking laugh. It shouldn’t have been a fear-inspiring event, and yet it was. The flash of deadly teeth, as long as she was fucking tall, caused her heart to pound. And that voice loud in merriment! Like thunder it boomed across the landscape and echoed back at them as she and Shadowlight rode out the god-created earthquake in this titan’s hands.
She’d hate to witness his rage.
“I, too, doubt the Avatars will return to take up their old roles again. At least not in this lifetime. I saw a surprising new path open before them the moment the female half of the soul reunited with her proper body.”
The power flowing into Anna ceased altogether. A sigh of relief escaped her before she could prevent it. Though, she doubted this reprieve would last long to judge by Lord Death’s calculating expression.
Well, if she had to guess, that’s how she’d interpret his slightly raised brow, somewhat narrowed eyes, and the slow flick of one ear.
But she’d based her guess on the fact his upper body shared similarities with a gargoyle. The rest of him, from what she could see from her current vantage point, looked more like a winged centaur or sphinx.
Lord Death tilted his head to study her with one eye. “If the Avatars will not lead my army, then I must find alternatives. And behold, the Divine Ones have delivered two powerful new beings into my keeping.”
Yeah, that’s where she thought his little speech was going. Had she and the kid traded one evil overlord for another?
“Not sure if it was your Divine Ones,” Anna said, trying and failing to make her voice sound strong.
It was likely a foolish effort since she still twitched and shook worse than an addict overdue for a hit, but, hell, she wanted to at least appear less helpless than she felt. To her great annoyance, she couldn’t get her limbs to cooperate enough to sit.
“Of course it was.” Lord Death seemed entirely unfazed by her doubt. “The Divine Ones put two children in my path. I will see that they grow in strength and wisdom until they are one day fit to lead my army.”
“Children? For the record, I’m full grown.” Baiting a titan probably wasn’t the wisest of moves, but she needed to mount a defense.
Lord Death laughed like she’d said the most entertaining thing in the world.
Okay. Fine. She supposed to a being who was a bazillion years old, her twenty-four years was less than a blink in time. Still, she wouldn’t just roll over, especially if Shadowlight had been forced to bargain to save her life. Time to find out the price of her continued existence.
“I owe you my life and all. Thanks for that, but do we get a say in any of this?”
“You always have a choice. Even when you were still my sister’s prisoners, there was a choice.”
“Yeah, about that. It was more of a serve or die scenario. This time I’m hoping for something a little more... flexible... with a happy ending.”
“Flexible? Happy ending?” The giant grinned, flashing his teeth to full advantage again. “Some would say I deal out many joyful endings. I am the Lord of the Underworld. I bring death to the universe so there can be mercy, renewal, and rebirth.”
“Not quite what I had in mind.”
“I am aware.” His toothy grin stretched wider for a moment before his expression smoothed into something more thoughtful. “Just because I wield a fearsome power, doesn’t mean I am evil or share my sister’s ambitions.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“I also don’t believe in enslaving creatures to serve my needs. Nor do I force children into my armies. You and Shadowlight still have much learning and growing to do before you are ready to make the decision that will end with leading my army.”
Anna glanced at Shadowlight and relief washed over her. At least the Lord of the Underworld wasn’t planning to enslave the kid. This demigod seemed willing to give them a choice. Perhaps after she healed, he’d let her and Shadowlight go?
Now you’re being naïve, Anna, she thought to herself.
“I don’t enslave. I won’t force either of you to lead my army.” Lord Death’s expression took on a hint of slyness. “But Shadowlight is a gargoyle, so too are you. That makes you my responsibility. I guide and protect all young gargoyles, only releasing them into the world once they are ready, after many years of training.”
“I know I’m young compared to you—a child in your eyes, but I am an adult and have been looking out for myself for quite some time. And I have responsibilities to my people.”
“Yes. I see that in you. The need to report back to them with what you’ve learned. A good soldier. And once you’re fully healed and recovered, I will allow you to return to the humans if that’s your wish.” Another sly look. “However, Shadowlight is much more a child than you. He will stay with me until I deem him ready. Would you willingly leave him behind when you returned to your world and the Avatars?”
Why the four-armed bastard! He already knew her answer. He’d crawled in and out of her head enough times to know she wouldn’t leave the kid.
“Never. If you don't release Shadowlight, you’re stuck with me too.” The words would have had more impact if she’d been able to cross her arms and frown at him. Hell, it would’ve had more impact if she could sit up when she made her pronouncement.
“Superb,” Death’s enchanting voice flowed over her, smooth, deep and rich, lulling her worries and soothing her soul-deep aches. “Sleep now, little hybrid. Find what renewal rest will grant you. Your long journey of healing is only beginning.”
He bent his neck, his muzzle with its deadly fangs dipping far too close, and then he exhaled. His breath, warm and sweet, almost like flowers, blew over Anna. Her mind grew slow and her lids heavy.
She only had time for one swift regretful ‘Fuck, I wasn’t finished with this conversation’ before she knew nothing more.
Chapter 2
FOOD. ANNA DREAMED of food, which, given what her dreams were usually like the last few weeks, was a departure she could embrace. The warm scent of bread—and something that smelled like oatmeal and some unidentifiable fruit reached her nose.
Her stomach growled.
Blinking open her eyes, she discovered it wasn’t a dream at all.
Shadowlight sat on a cot across from her, scarfing down a bowl of something hot and steaming. She must have made a noise because he stopped eating and looked up.
“Anna! You’re awake.” He bounced off the bed and knocked into hers in his exuberance.
“I feel like rewarmed roadkill, so I suppose that means I’m alive.” Her mind felt slow and foggy, sensations mute and muffled.
“Dray said you’d feel like that when you woke.”
“Who the fuck is Dray?”
“The Lord of the Underworld goes by the name Draydrak. He says we can call him Dray.”
Great. While she’d slept oblivious to everything around her, the kid and the demigod had continued to chat and were now on a first name basis. Just swell.
“It will continue to grow worse—the exhaustion.” Shadowlight sounded unhappy as he imparted that bit of news.
“Why worse?”
“Dray said it’s because you’re still not healed.”
“What? Wait. I thought that was the whole point of his burns-like-acid power.” Though Anna didn’t feel like she was dying, she couldn’t say she felt healed either, now that she thought about it. Ever since Shadowlight had converted her with his blood, she’d always woken stronger after sleeping off an injury.
This time she
didn’t.
“Lord Death’s power was destroying the blood witch’s spell. It fought back. That’s why it felt like a burning power to you. Dray later had to replace parts of your soul that had been... eaten away. But he’s not a healer on the physical level. Your body needs to rest in stone. It’s a natural part of healing now that you’re pure gargoyle.”
Part of her soul had been eaten away and needed to be repaired? Fuck, basic training sure as hell didn’t cover this kind of shit. Yet Shadowlight’s explanation needed some type of response, so she went with a pure vanilla one. “Sounds like a small price to pay for being alive. I’m lucky.”
But if she was forced to take a stone nap, how vulnerable would it leave her and the kid?
“Yes, Dray said the blood witch nearly destroyed your soul. If we hadn’t reached him when we did...” Shadowlight cleared his throat and glanced out the nearest window to hide his tears.
“Shh. It’s okay. I survived.” By some big-ass miracle. “So, I need to impersonate a stone statue for a while. I’ve been through worse.”
“Yes,” Shadowlight agreed in a small voice.
“Did... Dray... mention how long I might need to sleep?”
Shadowlight’s tail wrapped around his own waist. “He said it would be years.”
“Years...” Fuck. We don’t have years. There’s no way the Battle Goddess was giving her brother, or Earth, years to get ready.
“The cub is correct,” said a new voice from several feet away.
She yelped in surprise as a big gargoyle materialized on the cot to her left. If she’d been able to move, she would have jumped up and faced this new and possibly perilous threat. But doing a face-plant wasn’t likely to impress the newcomer. Besides, she didn’t want to alarm Shadowlight or give him any bad ideas.
The older male—she assumed he was older since there couldn’t be many gargoyles younger than Shadowlight running around—observed them calmly, even taking his unhurried time to arrange his tail so the tip came to rest against his muscular thigh.
Like Gregory, Darkness, and Shadowlight, this male didn’t suffer from an overabundance of clothing. A loincloth and metal wrist and ankle bands were familiar. Though he also wore a matching metal collar that reminded her of a Celtic torc.
This male was big, both taller and stockier than either Gregory or Shadowlight’s father. With another gargoyle to study, she noted a few other subtle variations in coloration and features. For one, his muzzle seemed a little blunter than Shadowlight’s.
“I am Master Banrook, though my friends just call me Rook.” He paused as he eyed first Anna and then Shadowlight. “You are welcome to call me Rook as we’re likely to become close friends.”
How did he make that sound like a threat?
Anna drew in a deep breath and studied his scent, but there were no betraying markers she could detect.
“What are you sensing from him, kid?”
“Honesty. Integrity. Determination.”
Hmmm. So basic gargoyle nature. Could be worse.
“Draydrak has tasked me with overseeing your recovery and adjustment while you become familiar with our world and way of life.” He flicked an ear at Shadowlight. “In other words, I will whip you both into proper gargoyles and do my damn best to undo whatever that manipulative Battle Goddess has hammered into your heads.”
Anna cleared her throat. “I’d be very grateful for any aid in digging out whatever the Battle Goddess did to us both, but what if we don’t want to become ‘proper’ gargoyles?”
Rook snorted. “Too late for that. Whatever else you are, you’re both gargoyles, and that makes you Dray’s responsibility. I’ll be aiding him during your healing and later training. As you’ve already discovered, your full healing will take years.”
Well, no one said those ‘years’ had to be here, in this Realm.
Anna glanced to her right. “Kid, don’t get too comfortable here. We need to escape back to Earth first chance we get.”
Shadowlight looked a little uncertain at her words. Yeah, she probably looked like crap, but surely the Avatars could heal whatever the blood witch had done to her and the kid.
“If you leave,” the older male speared Anna with a look that made sweat break out along her back, “you will die. The Avatars cannot heal you fast enough while in the Mortal Realm. Your death will affect the cub in ways not even Lord Draydrak can fully see.”
“You can read minds?” Anna tried and failed to keep the thread of hostility out of her voice. She’d mastered the ability to keep everyone, other than Draydrak, out of her head months ago. How was this big brute getting in?
“It’s a gift. One granted by Lord Dray to aid me in the shaping and training of our younglings. But I don’t do it maliciously.” His tail tip thumped against his thigh once before stilling again. “We need to know your thought processes and your self-doubts so we can put them to rest.”
Anna grunted but didn’t challenge his words. He’d been open and honest about it at least. She didn’t like having someone able to rummage through her head any time he wanted but admitted if she’d possessed the same gift, she’d have used it, considering where she and Shadowlight had spent the last few months.
“So...” Anna paused. A yawn snuck up out of nowhere and threatened to crack her jaws. She gave herself a little shake. “How’s this going to work if Lord Dray wants us to lead his army and yet my healing might take years? There’s no way the Battle Goddess is giving her brother years to prepare. Her armies might even now be marching.”
“Actually, my spies report that the Avatars and a group of humans caused a rather large disturbance in her kingdom.” Banrook gave her a wolfish grin. “They killed several of the Battle Goddess’s captains and even grievously wounded the blood witch. For now, our enemies lick their wounds.”
“Gryton?” Shadowlight asked suddenly.
Rook’s ears flicked to the side, his expression darkening. “That one survived.”
Huh. Big surprise. It would probably just be Gryton and the cockroaches after the apocalypse.
Though, there was a silver lining. Sounded like the Blood Witch Taryin had gotten a good smackdown. Fleetingly, she wondered what had happened to Vaspara, Sorac, and Bervicta. While she couldn’t condone their choice of master, there were other people higher up Anna’s shit list she’d like to see in the ground first.
“So,” Banrook continued, “The Lady of Battles won’t be sending her armies just yet. But when she does, she’ll find a nasty surprise. Unfortunately, you don’t have time to hear all the details now.”
He gestured at her midsection and slowly drew the blanket down.
Underneath she was wearing an old-fashioned baggy shirt and a pair of matching drawstring pants. It struck her as odd that gargoyles would have human-type clothing, but that was a question for later.
When she tugged up the shirt’s undyed fabric, her gaze homed in on what looked like raw meat, old scar tissue and a hardy dose of burned flesh. It extended across the expanse of her abdomen. It didn’t hurt. At all.
Even with top of the line pain meds, she should have been feeling something.
She’d seen some ugly-ass wounds before and knew the injury should be fatal.
That she still breathed was only at the whim of a demigod.
“The outside is ugly enough, but the true damage is internal. Souls are anchored to the body in seven places—” Banrook tapped the crown of her head, between her eyebrows, a flick across her throat, and an impersonal stroke between her breasts. Next, he gestured at the twisted mass of tissue covering her navel area, then circled a talon above her womb before moving lower to indicate the base of her spine.
“Your soul was nearly shredded from your body. Dray unraveled the blood witch’s spell before it could finish its work, but your body will still need the long sleep to fully repair the damage.”
Shadowlight hesitantly touched the ravaged skin. “She should already be stone.”
“Yes. Dray thou
ght you’d like to say goodbye first and to give us time to put your Kyrsu’s mind at ease. I will show you both where you will be staying. A safe home, far beyond the Battle Goddess’s reach.”
Goodbye? It was that exact moment she understood she’d be abandoning the kid for a good long time. She couldn’t help it. There was no getting around this wound.
It did not pain her but that was because her body was shutting down. She sensed it, her instincts warning her of the danger, the need to find a safe place to rest.
This gargoyle, or another like him, would become Shadowlight’s guardian until Gregory and Lillian came to take him back to Earth. There was no telling how long that would be since the Avatars didn’t seem to be on conversational terms with Lord Death.
Oh, she knew it was better than where they’d just escaped—so much better. But strangers would still care for Shadowlight. Without her.
God. She only hoped Gregory and Lillian would come soon.
“Do I have your permission to carry you to another location?” Master Banrook asked. “It’s too far for you to walk in your condition,”
She would have preferred to walk, but her limbs were growing heavy. “Yes.”
“Let’s get this over with,” she whispered to the kid.
Banrook nodded and then carefully scooped her up like she weighed nothing. When he started away, it occurred to her they were in a medical ward.
Outside, the hallway was constructed of the same dark grey stone with faint green veins running through it. Carpets and wall hangings softened the otherwise hard edges. Every ten feet, wall sconces held lit torches. But the light cast by them was too ethereal—an unnatural soft shimmering blue—to be anything but magic in origin.
Strangely she couldn’t sense or taste the foreign power. Eh. She was bad off if she couldn’t feel the magic fueling the blue-white flames.
“Can you still hear me?” Anna asked Shadowlight across their shared mind link.
“Yes. But you’re faint.”
The Complete Gargoyle and Sorceress Boxset (Books 1-9) Page 121
