gargoyle and sorceress 05 - sorceress enranged

by Lisa Blackwood

Anna was somewhat surprised when her own stomach gave a rumble at the first waft of food. The servants laid out their trays and then retreated to stand against the wall behind the table. It was weird having someone standing at her back watching, but Anna just shrugged it off and picked a bowl of what looked like hot porridge and fruit from one of the trays. The grain probably wasn’t oats, but the food was a hell of a lot more familiar than she thought it would be.

  She was just about to dive into hers like the others at the table when Gryton’s head jerked up. A moment later Shadowlight issued one of his ‘I mean business’ snarls. Beside her, Captain Sorac made a low hiss. It sounded more threatening than welcoming.

  “Ah, Captain Taryin, nice to see you’ve returned.” Gryton stood to make introductions, which just hammered home that this female was one of the major powers if Tin Man was stirring himself to make proper introductions.

  “There’s still much to do before the armies are ready to wake, but word reached me of the newest additions to the Battle Goddess’ court.” The speaker was a woman of average height, pale skin, and dark brown hair. She could have been human if not for the power Anna felt rolling off her. “I was curious after hearing some of what the human-gargoyle hybrid managed.”

  “Anna. This one is very dangerous,” Shadowlight whispered in her mind. “I know her from my father’s memories. She was the one who captured him and was also the one to help trap the female half of the Avatar’s soul in the body of a dryad.”

  Shit. That made her almost as dangerous as Gryton and the demigoddess, maybe even completing some unholy Trinity. Anna mentally added this newcomer to her list of must eradicate.

  “Corporal Anna Mackenzie and Shadowlight, meet Blood Witch Taryin.”

  Blood witch? Well, that certainly didn’t inspire warm and fuzzy feelings.

  “A pleasure,” Taryin said as she made her way around the end of the table. Captain Ninara shifted out of the way for her and then left the table altogether a moment later, going to join her twin.

  “That’s really fucking telling,” Anna said to Shadowlight.

  He nodded his agreement.

  But there wasn’t anything either of them could do. Taryin settled on the bench next to Gryton, and soon servants were bringing a trencher for the blood witch.

  The meal continued in silence. It was the most uncomfortable meal of Anna’s life. It put the Mackenzie family reunions to shame.

  When it was over, at last, Gryton urged them up and away.

  As it turned out, he had a tour of the fortress planned. He showed them gardens, stables, practice rings and even a big, three-story library.

  But no matter how far away they walked, it still felt like the blood witch’s magic was crawling over Anna’s skin.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After the tour, he and Anna were escorted by Captain Vaspara and Commander Gryton to a sub-level storeroom filled with every item one could possibly want. Shadowlight inhaled deeply and sorted through the odors. Fabrics, leathers, the metallic tang of metals and armor. It didn’t come as a surprise when Gryton led them to a wall of shelves filled with various pieces of armor.

  “Once you’ve earned your swords, our metalsmiths will forge you both armor befitting your new rank in the army,” Gryton informed Shadowlight, and then he suddenly turned to Anna, “and if you try to take what I have not given you, I’ll see that Shadowlight is punished in your place.”

  Anna cursed and replaced a dagger back on the shelf.

  “I was only looking,” she said with a growl.

  “Look with your eyes next time,” Gryton said, though he didn’t sound that angry.

  Shadowlight studied him with narrowed eyes, but before he could pinpoint what bothered him about the older male, he ushered them thirty feet further down the aisle then stopped and dug through a few pieces of armor until he pulled out a cloth wrapped bundle.

  “This should fit you,” Gryton said to Anna as he passed her the large bundle.

  Turning to Shadowlight, Gryton looked him up and down. “You are almost fully grown. Your father’s armor should fit you with just a few adjustments.”

  Shadowlight held his breath and then let it out on a burst of sound. “I can have my father’s armor? Can I see it now?”

  “Easy, kid,” Anna’s thoughts were suddenly in his mind. “I know you want something that was your father’s but remember no gift here is truly free. They seek to win us over by any means necessary.”

  Some of Shadowlight’s pleasure drained away.

  “Kid, I’m not saying you shouldn’t take this gift, but remember everything we’re given or ‘win the right’ to own will have strings attached.”

  Of course, Anna was right. Shadowlight clamped down on his excitement and just stood watching and waiting.

  Gryton stared at Anna. “Now, whatever did you say to the poor kid to make him practically wilt?”

  Anna made a face, only now realizing they’d just exposed their secret ability to Gryton, and then said, “The truth.”

  “The youngling will take his father’s armor whether you want him to have it or not.”

  But this time Anna smiled. “I didn’t tell him not to take the armor.”

  Gryton muttered something under his breath that was too low even for gargoyle ears. Then he turned sharply on his heels and commanded Shadowlight to follow. Not given a choice, he stumbled after the armor-covered figure. Anna jogged along beside him, her bundle rattling and clanking with every stride.

  Gryton eventually halted halfway down a side aisle where he took a bundle from a shelf and handed it to Shadowlight.

  It was bigger than the one he’d given to Anna.

  “Keep moving,” Gryton barked. “We still have several stops to make before I deliver you to your weapons instructor to assess your abilities.”

  Shadowlight hurried to follow before the collar took the choice from him. Anna grumbled something under her breath which sounded like ‘hard-ass drill sergeant.’

  Commander Gryton hadn’t been exaggerating. They made many stops. Weapon belts, buckles, clothing to wear during practice, even more formal attire for special occasions. They gathered all that and more. Gryton explained that the colors of the uniforms marked what rank they held in the army. Pale blue meant innocent and not to be killed before they’d had a chance to prove themselves.

  By the fourth stop, they were so loaded down with supplies that Shadowlight was starting to feel like a beast of burden. Gryton eventually took pity and bellowed for servants to carry the supplies back to their quarters.

  “You won’t need the armor today anyways,” Gryton explained after the servants came and took everything. “Tomorrow will be soon enough for that.”

  ***

  So that’s how Shadowlight came to be standing inside the training area empty-handed. Now that he was outside, he very much wanted to go for a run or a hunt. But the practice ring also held his attention. Anna’s, too, if her ramrod posture was anything to go by.

  The practice yard was a vast sand-covered area with at least a hundred individual rings where opponents were testing their skills while mentors and other students looked on.

  Scraps of conversation and shouted orders drifted to him over the clash of steel on steel. While a good half of the combatants were fighting with swords or other bladed weapons, there were also others that were engaged in different forms of hand-to-hand combat.

  Watching the various styles, Shadowlight was a bit surprised to find he wanted to try his hand at some of them. He’d been trapped inside walls for days and hadn’t seen the sky in longer than he liked.

  He glanced sideways at Anna and then reached out to her thoughts. “Is it bad that I want to take part?”

  Anna turned to meet his eyes. “No, because we need to do this. Just be careful and watch yourself. Somehow I doubt our new instructors will be as patient as Gregory was with us.”

  “I understand,” and he did. If they didn’t rise swiftly to become the best, they were li
kely to suffer. The Battle Goddess did not seem the type to forgive weakness or failure.

  And he also knew from some of what Anna had told him that the sooner they gained the trust of their instructors, the sooner they might earn liberties that could lead to opportunities for escape.

  Part 2

  Chapter Fifteen

  Nothing had gone well in the last week, which shouldn’t have surprised Lillian. Since nothing ever went her way. But over the previous three weeks, she’d really, truly won the shitstorm sweepstakes.

  Her doppelgänger had arrived. Shadowlight had been kidnapped. Their father killed. Their mother was in a coma, which Lillian thought a little guiltily, might have been a blessing. Then Anna had gone off to rescue Shadowlight, but there was no way of knowing how she fared.

  To top it all off, Daryna had revealed that Gryton was the child of the Avatars and she’d acted to protect her child from Gregory.

  Yep. Shitstorm sweepstakes.

  And the cherry on top: she was hormonal and emotional from the pregnancy.

  All in all, Lillian was proud she was keeping her shit together for the most part. Gregory needed her support, and she’d damn well be there for him even if it meant being civil with her doppelganger.

  The one upside to this grand mess was that she now knew where the Sorceress’ allegiance lay. With her son, Gryton.

  Lillian still had trouble digesting the fact she and Gregory had broken their vows and had a child in a past life. Gryton! What trickster god was behind this? But Gregory had repeatedly confirmed that Daryna was telling the truth about that catastrophe.

  At least Gregory was wise enough not to trust the woman who was temporary host to the other half of his soul. He’d hypothesized that the rapid growth of her temporary body had somehow damaged Daryna’s mind. Lillian agreed wholeheartedly.

  Now Daryna was under continuous watch by members of the Clan and Coven. No one had told the human military about Daryna’s actions. The council agreed that knowledge needed to remain hidden for now or they might find themselves at war with both the humans and the Battle Goddess’ army. While that might be true, Lillian still didn’t think keeping this secret from the humans was a good idea. But she and Gregory had been outvoted.

  Which was why Gregory was taking a ‘hunting break’ from training the humans to answer a summons from Daryna. He’d been less than pleased to be summoned, but his other half had claimed there was something important they needed to discuss.

  Lillian hadn’t been about to let Gregory go alone. Now they traveled together, running side-by-side through the forest. Had they not been going to meet her evil doppelgänger, Lillian would have enjoyed the run with Gregory. But things were what they were.

  They soon reached the small game trail that led to the cabin where Gregory had stowed Daryna. It was hell and gone from the nearest road or military patrol. They’d already passed several of the fae guards on their run, and more walked the perimeter of the meadow surrounding the small cabin. There was a third line of defense inside, watching for any hint of Daryna’s spell work.

  If the Sorceress had wanted to escape, she could have easily overpowered her fae guards, but she had remained because she didn’t want to drive a bigger wedge between herself and Gregory. Or, at least, that was Lillian’s theory.

  The peak of the cabin soon came into view, and they sprinted across the meadow, parting the long, buttery-colored autumn grasses as they ran. They’d only just reached the door when Daryna opened it and ushered them inside.

  Lillian noted Greenborrow, the pooka, and the banshee were Daryna’s guards today.

  “Why did you summon me?” Gregory growled as he reared up to stand on two feet.

  Lillian arched a brow at his sharp tone but merely folded her wings against her back and crossed her arms to watch. Gregory had never been one for niceties, but he’d been downright cranky since he learned of Daryna’s deceit.

  The sorceress merely nodded at Gregory’s snarled tone. “Durnathyne, I fear I must tell you that Anna Mackenzie failed to rescue Shadowlight.”

  Lillian’s lips curled back from her teeth and it was her turn to growl. “How do you know that?”

  “Is Anna still alive?” Gregory added.

  Daryna smiled at them both. “Gryton spoke to me at great risk to himself to share what news he was able to procure.”

  “Good for him,” Lillian snapped, pretending the news of Gryton’s aid didn’t come as a surprise. Though it wouldn’t astonish her if he was playing both sides. “Answer Gregory’s question now.”

  “The human is alive and well according to my son.”

  “Right. So that means she’s lucky not to be dead.” Lillian’s tail flicked in agitation.

  “You need not be so hostile, Lillian.”

  I’ll be hostile if I damn well wish it, Lillian thought to herself.

  “Go on,” Gregory urged.

  “Anna and Shadowlight are both alive, and at present are not in immediate danger, but we mustn’t leave them there given what Gryton has shared with me.”

  “That’s what I’ve been saying this whole time.” Not that anyone ever listens to me, Lillian thought sourly.

  “I am aware,” the sorceress said in a dry tone. “Unfortunately, now that Anna is there with him, the danger is greater. Soon, the Battle Goddess will be able to use his blood to start converting other species and those new gargoyles will be under Shadowlight’s command.”

  “Not for a couple years at least. It will take that long for him to mature enough to serve the Battle Goddess’ needs. I plan to bring the fight to the demi-goddess long before that,” Gregory said, a growl thickening his voice.

  “The Battle Goddess has ways to get what she wants much sooner than that. She’s been experimenting on gargoyles using blood magic for a few hundred years now and has learned things. The Lady of Battles will use that knowledge and force Shadowlight to share power with Anna. As the human grows stronger, so too will the cub. In a mere turning of the seasons, she’ll be in possession of a mature Rasoren and Kyrsu to lead her armies.”

  “What?” Gregory snarled. “You sent Anna there knowing our enemy has resurrected blood magic?”

  “I did not know that when I first sent Anna back,” Daryna said, her eyes tight with a worry she tried to hide. “I only just learned about this from Gryton.”

  “We must spearhead a rescue,” Gregory said, now looking more thoughtful than pissed. “The military has been hounding me to put the newly trained human soldiers to a test for days now. This might just be the time to test their skills in a trial run before we wage open war.”

  Lillian didn’t really care about testing the newly trained soldiers in the field, but she was entirely on board with saving Anna and Shadowlight from a terrible fate.

  “When can we leave?”

  Gregory turned to look her up and down and then paused at her belly where the new life they’d created was already starting to show as a large bulge.

  “You aren’t going,” Gregory said with a menacing growl.

  “Try and stop me.”

  “Actually, he can,” Daryna injected. “However, Lillian will be needed should something happen to this body. The female half of the Avatar soul must have a direct path back to Lillian should something unplanned occur while we’re in the Magic Realm.”

  Gregory’s gaze snapped toward Daryna. For the first time, he looked uncertain. “How long before your body fails.”

  As angry as he was at Daryna for keeping what she’d learned about Gryton to herself, deep-down he must still love the other half of his soul. He couldn’t help it. And even Lillian knew that while Daryna had made the choices she had to protect her child, she hadn’t wanted to harm Gregory. Lillian knew that in her heart. Gregory likely did too.

  Watching Daryna’s body fail would be like witnessing his beloved dying all over again. Poor Gregory.

  Sometimes the Divine Ones seemed exceptionally cruel to their Avatars. Lillian curled a wing around Grego
ry's shoulders, startling him. But he soon leaned into her warmth and dipped his muzzle to sniff along her skin before bestowing a couple gargoyle kisses to her cheek.

  After a moment he straightened to his full height. “Thank you, Daryna, for speaking the truth to me this night, but now I must go seek out Resnick again and secure the military’s aid.”

  Gregory turned and left before Daryna could respond, then once he was bounding away across the meadow, Lillian’s doppelgänger turned to her. “I never meant to hurt my beloved gargoyle, but I had to help my son.”

  Lillian felt a stirring of unease. Her hand dropped to rest against the slight bulge that was now visible even in gargoyle form. To have to choose between her mate and her child was unthinkable, and yet Daryna had been forced to do just that. Lillian only hoped fate never required her to make the same horrible choice. Then looking upon Daryna with pity, she said, “For what it’s worth, I am sorry you had to make that decision.”

  “As am I.”

  “Lillian. We must go!” Gregory shouted from across the meadow.

  “He’s still hurting,” Daryna said. “Comfort him in whatever way he’ll allow.”

  Lillian sent Daryna another pitying glance and then dropped to all fours and ran after Gregory. In time, he would heal from the shock and betrayal he’d suffered, and if Shadowlight and Anna weren’t in mortal danger, she’d focus solely upon Gregory’s emotional healing, but for now, they had other priorities.

  When she reached his side, he glanced sidelong at her and playfully swatted his tail along her rump, saying, “Keep up.”

  “I’m not the slow one!” She put on a burst of speed and bolted ahead.

  Gregory growled out a challenge and pursued. Even as she playfully raced him through the forest, Lillian’s mind was turned towards her younger brother and his predicament.

  Hold on, little brother. We’re coming for you.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Anna kept an eye on Shadowlight even while she listened to her new mentor demonstrate various forms of combat. Over the last three days, she’d started to grow accustomed to the routine set by her new mentors.