“It’s a birthmark.”
“Birth? You have parents?” Anna said as she curled her fingers around her sword’s hilt. Not that she knew how to use one, but it was a handy place to rest her hand.
“Most living creatures do have them. Parents, I mean.”
“Until now I wasn’t entirely certain you were a living creature. My working theory was a disembodied spirit had taken up residence in an old armor suit.”
“Ah,” Gryton’s fangs flashed in a grin. “As you can see, I’m very much a flesh and blood male. You are welcome to explore if you’d like to put your doubts to rest.”
Lame pickup line, dude. Aloud Anna asked, “You mean like with my dagger to see if you bleed like a real flesh and blood person?”
His smile never faltered. “That’s not quite what I had in mind...”
No, Anna didn’t suppose it was.
Shadowlight growled, the sound more menacing than usual. “I’m hungry, and if we don’t go to dinner now, I’m going to take a bite out of Gryton.”
The commander burst out laughing, surprising both Anna and Shadowlight.
“Come then, young ones. I’d rather not have a gargoyle take a chunk out of my hide.”
Gryton led them back to the hall. It looked much like it always had. The only difference she could see was an increased number of candles and more of the seats were filled than usual. Plus, like Gryton, many of the diners had forgone armor. That didn’t mean they were weaponless. Anna still saw lots of daggers, maces, swords and whips.
As they made their way to the high table, she also promised to stop bitching about her outfit. What some of the other diners wore made her attire look positively modest and concealing.
When they reached the high table, there were a few familiar faces.
Commander Gryton took his customary seat and Shadowlight flopped down next to him without being asked. Good kid.
As much as she hated Tin Man, he was still the most known commodity in the room. She’d rather Shadowlight not be exposed to the others any more than necessary. Case in point, Anna’s eyes sought out the woman sitting three seats down on Gryton’s other side.
The more bodies between Shadowlight and Captain Taryin, the happier it made Anna.
Gryton leaned back in his chair so he could see her past Shadowlight’s massive wings. “Now that you’ve had a chance to meet and be tested by all your mentors, your training will begin in earnest tomorrow. From this point on, you will be expected to complete the tests and tasks set by your teachers and show daily improvement.” Gryton paused to sip at his goblet of wine and then continued, “Rest assured that the instructors have orders not to cripple you or the cub. They will practice restraint until you both reach your full magical potential.”
Well, isn’t that thoughtful of them, Anna muttered silently in her own mind.
“I know you don’t trust me—” Anna’s snort made him pause, but he merely arched an eyebrow and continued, “but I am much more trustworthy than some.”
His gaze cut away toward the blood witch before returning to her.
“No worries. I don’t trust anyone here.”
“It’s likely for the best,” Gryton agreed with a shrug and returned to his wine.
The servants placed food in front of Shadowlight and Anna at the same time. The young gargoyle dug into his food with more appetite than usual, his manners completely forgotten.
Anna wasn’t particularly hungry but soon cleared her own plate.
Shadowlight glanced back at the large platter of the cooked fowl, looking hopeful and sheepish at the same time. Anna dragged the platter closer. That was all the encouragement the gargoyle needed to refill his plate.
“I see he has a healthy appetite,” Gryton said in an offhanded manner.
Anna shrugged. “He’s a gargoyle.”
“A young and growing one at that. I will make sure that he’s given a chance to have another quick meal between some of his classes.”
Anna didn’t thank him. There was something he wasn’t saying. She could sense it, almost like a smell rising off his skin. Not a lie, no. An omission.
“Your appetites will increase,” Gryton said as he nibbled on the leg. “As your metabolisms require more food for your growing bodies. Since Shadowlight isn’t yet mature, he’ll need more to fuel his growth, but as your own changes occur and your gargoyle nature begins to assert itself, you’ll find yourself developing a greater appetite as well.”
Anna was already aware of what the Battle Goddess’s sessions were doing to them, but she didn’t have a solid timeline yet for how quickly they would change.
She needed details if she was going to form a plan that culminated in a successful escape.
“How often will we need to go before the Battle Goddess?” Anna asked between bites of her meal, hoping that it came across as small talk and not an eager inquiry.
This is just polite table talk, nothing more, she projected and hoped Gryton believed the lie.
“Once your training starts in earnest, the Lady of Battles thinks two days between each of her sessions will be optimal for Shadowlight’s development. Any closer and it would be too stressful for his body. As he matures, so too will your gargoyle nature.”
Okay. So, they had a couple days before their next visit with the Battle Goddess.
“The blood witch mentioned I’d need a few more sessions before I could start training under her, but Shadowlight has a firmer grasp on his magic, and she thinks he can start tomorrow. Do you agree?”
Gryton chewed thoughtfully at his food. “Yes, but stay close to Shadowlight during his times with Taryin and don’t run any errands for her while he is in her company.”
Shadowlight had stopped eating to listen to Gryton’s words, but he only huffed softly in agreement and then returned to his meal.
She already knew Gryton didn’t trust the blood witch from the earlier verbal exchanges between Vaspara and Taryin, yet she hadn’t expected him to so openly warn her.
“How long will this process take? I mean until Shadowlight is mature and I’m a full-blooded gargoyle?”
“If you think you’ll be able to escape then, I must disappoint you. Our Lady’s power will also instill a new sense of loyalty in you both.”
“Figured as much. Guess I’m just curious how long it will take until I no longer care about things like escape.”
“Three moon cycles, or months as you call it, and then Shadowlight will be mature and you’ll have full command of your gargoyle nature.” Gryton picked up a warm roll and buttered it. Taking a bite, he chewed as he watched her thoughtfully. “You’ll both be well into your training by then. If you exceed our expectations, the Lady of Battles may even send you back to the Mortal Realm at the head of her army.”
Anna stared into the mirror-like surface of her drink. That was not how she and the kid were returning to Earth.
It couldn’t, no, it wouldn’t, come to that. She’d just have to come up with a plan, put it into play, and then successfully escape before they no longer wished to leave.
The meal continued and Gryton chatted about various aspects of their training. On her right side, Captain Sorac added a few other suggestions on how to get Anna up to speed in various martial arts.
“I’ll make a sword master out of you, human,” Sorac said with a soft hiss. No doubt it was his version of a friendly conversational tone. “I’ll beat you into shape over the next moon cycle, you’ll see.”
Gryton and Sorac leaned back in their seats and broke into a seemingly friendly banter over some of the other captains. They talked about mundane things like Anna and Shadowlight weren’t sitting between them, sucking up every little piece of information they let drop.
After a few minutes of nursing her drink, Anna glanced sidelong at Shadowlight. He’d finished another plate and was now glowering down the table toward where the blood witch sat talking with Honnan. Anna didn’t blame him. They were her two least-liked and least-trusted acquaint
ances since she’d come to this place.
Much later, tables were pushed aside, and musicians came out and began to play. The music, played on a variety of foreign stringed instruments and woodwinds, was slow and surprisingly beautiful, not something she’d expect from such a violent and warmongering society.
The first few hauntingly beautiful pieces flowed into more upbeat songs and some of the diners got up and danced while others clapped their hands or stomped their feet in time to the music.
None of the music touched Anna, her heart and mind too full of worry over what this place was going to do to one innocent, young gargoyle.
Chapter 20
A swordmaster Anna wasn’t. She knew that before she’d even set foot in the outdoor practice ring. But she and Shadowlight reported to Captain Sorac for testing as ordered, so here they were. Anna was fully expecting to get her ass beat, but compared to some of the other things they’d already endured, it wasn’t so strange that she was looking forward to training sessions.
“Draw your sword,” Captain Sorac barked as soon as he walked into the sand ring.
Shadowlight complied gracefully, his sword coming free of its scabbard in one smooth motion. Anna copied the kid but already knew her movements were jerkier than his.
Sorac speared her with a look, his expression a blank mask for a heartbeat or two and then he roared with laughter. Between big whoops, he summoned over another of his students. This girl was human-looking, and if Anna was to guess her age, she’d go with seven.
The captain then shooed them into the next ring and turned his attention back to Shadowlight. Anna went. She wasn’t happy to be even that far away from Shadowlight here in this place, but she went.
While Sorac tested the young gargoyle’s skills, the girl showed Anna some of the most basic forms of swordsmanship. Distantly, Anna tried to follow the instructions, but her attention was divided. Sorac wasn’t holding back in his bout with Shadowlight.
The kid’s skills with the sword were much farther along than hers and he was able to block Sorac at first. At least until their mentor upped his game. The strikes came fast and furious, their blades a blur. Shadowlight stumbled and Sorac came far too close to decapitating him. Only the gargoyle’s quick reflexes allowed him to recover his balance and block the strike.
She’d expected Sorac to stop at that point. He didn’t. The strikes became more brutal.
Anna wasn’t even aware she’d burst into motion. Yet she was just suddenly running, that protective magic sleeping inside her roaring awake. Her strength and skills in hand-to-hand combat caught Sorac by surprise and she slapped his sword arm aside and flexed her talons, aiming for the narrow strip of throat just above where his armor ended.
Unfortunately, Sorac’s surprise lasted all of two seconds. Grinning at her, he slammed his hand against her breastplate. At the instant of contact, magic rippled in the air, expanding outward. A tremendous wave of force sent her flying backward violently. She didn’t stop until she crashed into the crowd of watching students.
Gasping, she looked up into the night sky and stared at the stars. With shaking hands, she felt up the breastplate covering her chest, expecting to find it and her chest caved inward. Marvel of marvels, it wasn’t even dented, and no part of her body was screaming at her about broken bones.
I think that was the mother of all spankings, Anna thought to herself.
“Dafuq?” Anna huffed out as she rolled off the other unfortunate students. “Why didn’t you warn me you were into bowling?”
Laughing, Sorac walked over and helped her to her feet.
“Just testing your berserker response. Gryton warned me about it, but I honestly thought he was over exaggerating. So far, you’ve seemed calm under pressure, but the young gargoyle is a trigger.”
Captain Sorac gave her a companionable pat. “I’ll guide and hone that into something breathtaking to behold on the battlefield. The Battle Goddess will be impressed.”
Faster than she could react, Sorac switched from patting her shoulder to clamping her throat in a vice-like hold. “If you ever attack me again, make sure you can win, or I’ll beat you until you cry tears of blood.”
Shadowlight snarled in warning. Sorac released Anna and spun to face the gargoyle. “And snarling only warns your opponent of an incoming attack. If you wish to survive, you need to be the master of your instincts.”
The growling stopped, but he still flashed a good bit of fang, which Sorac ignored. “The blood witch will start your training in battle magic next. She’ll meet you at the stone ring at the south end of the practice fields. There was blood spilled there recently.” He pointed off to the left of where they stood. “Captain Vaspara still has command of your control collar. I wanted you and Shadowlight to be able to act freely for this test. But now off you go.”
Damn it. How had Anna not noticed Vaspara hadn’t transferred control of Shadowlight’s collar to Sorac when she’d escorted them to the practice field? She needed to be more observant, not less, if they had any hope of escape.
Mentally kicking herself, she followed as Shadowlight headed off in the direction Sorac had indicated. When they reached the outer edge of the practice field and left its many torches behind, Anna squinted out into the darkness. Downslope of their position, she could just make out a large ring of standing stones backlit by one of the rising moons.
“That looks ominous,” Shadowlight said, his tail twitching ever so gently.
“Yep,” Anna agreed and doggedly started forward, Shadowlight close on her heels.
With each limping step, her armor grew heavier. She swore it found every last bruise with pinpoint accuracy. If she already hurt this much now, tomorrow was going to be so much more fun.
“Someone needs to remind that sadistic prick that he’s not supposed to kill us,” Anna muttered as she allowed herself to hobble now that they were out of Sorac’s sight.
“At least you didn’t break anything,” Shadowlight added helpfully.
“Fine, you get to be the bowling ball next time Sorac feels like playing tenpin.”
Besides a few bruises that would heal in a day or two thanks to her new gargoyle genetics, she wasn’t hurt. At least not physically. Starting now, she really needed to step up her game.
Anna studied the night-shrouded landscape as they approached the standing stones. The blood witch could even now be studying them.
Chapter 21
Shadowlight scented Anna’s rising alertness, a scent akin to nervousness, but not quite. His own scent likely betrayed his weariness and the hint of fear. As far as he was concerned, fear was a natural, healthy response when one was walking to meet one such as the blood witch.
Though Anna wasn’t a fan of Captain Sorac, he wasn’t so bad, and even Gryton didn’t make Shadowlight’s gargoyle nature scream warnings the way the blood witch did.
He debated attempting to kill her. He’d gladly accept the repercussions if not for two things. First, they’d surely harm Anna instead of him as Gryton had threatened. And second, he wasn’t sure if he could match one as powerful as Taryin in battle, even if he caught her unaware.
“I heard that,” Anna said along their mental link. “Don’t do anything foolish, kid. We need to learn more about her abilities before we get into a duel with her.”
As usual, Anna’s words were wise. He’d heed them. He just didn’t like having to work with a creature with such a blackened soul.
They approached the ring of stones. Now that they were closer, the murky red glow cast off by the symbols etched into the stone was easier to see. The breeze shifted, and he caught the scent of old blood and a hint of sugary-tinged rot.
“What’s that stench?” Anna used the back of her wrist to cover her nostrils. She had a dagger gripped in each hand. After a moment, she lowered her hand and breathed through her mouth before he could warn her not to. “Gawd. I can taste the vile crap now, too.”
“It’s the beginnings of a blood magic weaving,” he told h
er.
“How do you know that? It’s worse than what we smelled yesterday at Taryin’s dungeon abode,” Anna made a face. “And we’re outside for fuck’s sakes. I would’ve noticed if it was this bad yesterday.”
“My father’s memories show me some things I’d rather not know. This is one of them.” Shadowlight paced up to the outer edge of the standing stones and sneezed violently.
It didn’t improve the scent.
He circled the stone ring, scanning for any signs of Vaspara or the blood witch. “I don’t see either of the captains,” Shadowlight said as he gazed at Anna and then towards the sky. He switched to their mental link, “Sorac didn’t order me to wait for Taryin. Only said that she’d meet us here. I wasn’t ordered to stay.”
Excitement made his heart race. His wings unfurled as blood pumped into the membranes.
Anna’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Hold up, kid. This is either a test, a trick, or a trap. All of the above will likely land us back in a dungeon before we can say ‘oh shit.’”
Her words extinguished childish exuberance and his earlier excitement turned to embarrassment. His ears drooped.
“Don’t punish yourself for looking for weaknesses in their guard. It might provide our only chance at freedom. This one was just too early and too easy. They won’t let their guard down anytime soon. Or, at least, not until we prove our willingness to be good little demonic soldiers.” Anna’s thoughts felt like a physical hug, so he didn’t feel quite so bad about practically leaping into such an obvious trap.
“Well, we might as well get this over with,” Anna said aloud and then stepped between two of the standing stones. They flared, the power trapped deep in the stone reacting to her passage.
Shadowlight followed a moment later. As soon as he was inside, a wall of energy expanded between each of the stones until they were surrounded by a solid looking dome.
Twisting, he slapped his blade-tipped tail against the barrier. As he’d expected, the barrier just flared brighter where he struck. Narrowing his eyes and pinning his ears, he edged closer to Anna and waited for an attack.
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