“Beloved,” Lillian said even as she looked forward to the enemies rushing through the break in the dome. “I’m about to kick the hornet’s nest. We’re going to need your spell about ten seconds after I trigger mine.”
He brought his hand down in a long slashing motion as he finished drawing the last symbol in the air. The individual glowing glyphs were adhered to a circular construct, and as she watched the last symbol aligned with the rest and settled into its designated spot.
Grinning, Gregory beat his powerful wings and took to the air, propelling his weaving twenty feet above her head. Feeding on his pure elation, she laughed joyously. Working together side by side, summoning vast amounts of pure, untainted power and trusting in each other to hold up their end of the bargain. This was how it was supposed to be.
“I am ready, my love,” Gregory shouted over the growing noise as more of the Battle Goddess’s army rushed forward, sensing the old dome’s growing weakness.
Their enemies didn’t yet know it was a trick. The old dome had tinted to an opaque sickly green shade. While it had darkened to such an extent as to prevent Lillian from seeing outside, it also blocked their enemies from seeing within. Only the soldiers running through the breach could see what was going on inside in the seconds before Gryton burned them to ash.
Lillian glanced at Gregory’s spell one last time. It spun slowly, awaiting his final command while it cast off a multi-hued light that reminded her a little of a disco ball. She stepped away from Gryton and took to the air. Gregory made it look easy, but Lillian imagined her own attempt probably wasn’t quite so graceful.
But it didn’t matter. She had a whole lifetime to learn what her gargoyle body was capable of and she would do it with her beloved at her side. “If you’re ready to rock, let’s do this.”
Gregory chuckled. “I very much want to ring the Battle Goddess’s bell.”
Lillian fought to keep a straight face. “Flight lessons for me, the urban dictionary for you.”
Then she reached out to the trigger spell and flicked it with a bit of power. The spell flared brightly like a small detonation and then within seconds the entire web and dome began vibrating. A louder hum emanated from the dome. As the vibrations increased, the sound grew higher in pitch.
It continued to climb to uncomfortable levels, but she could heal a little hearing loss later.
The vibrations increased until the webbing couldn’t hold back the force. With a loud shattering and a high pitched crystalline scream, the dome bowed outward, a great wave of boundless force and raw, burning power raced out in an ever-widening circle of annihilation.
Lillian was blinded by the sudden brightness after the greenish semidarkness inside the dome. Nevertheless, her vision adapted in time to see the shockwave roll over the hapless soldiers in its path.
As the backlash of power expanded further out, it began to weaken and break apart. It was still a great force, but more and more of the soldiers were now surviving the blast, their personal defensive magic strong enough to withstand the hit.
But the spell had done its job and cleaned a huge swath of land, giving Gregory time to erect the new dome. A glance in his direction showed him already releasing it. As Lillian watched, his spell grew brighter and he began to feed it more power during its last growth phase.
Something set all her instincts on edge. Lillian twisted in the air, facing the swirling ash and ravaged ground just beyond where the old dome had stood. Moments later movement in the ash had Lillian summoning a spear of power.
“It’s Captain Taryin,” Gryton said in warning and summoned a wall of fire. “She’s a powerful blood witch.”
Lillian had the scent now. Yes, that stench was blood magic. The power of the shattering dome wouldn’t have been enough to kill one such as this. Narrowing her eyes, she summoned two more spears forged of shadow magic to add to her arsenal.
An amber-colored mist rose up out of the ashes moments before a female form struggled back to her feet. The figure was badly burned, but already beginning to heal, the blackened skin flaking off to reveal pale pink tissue. All the deaths fueled her power, and she continued to call upon her dark magic, shaping it into a ravaging cloud that she sent flying toward Gregory.
Lillian darted through the air and erected a shield between her beloved and the blood witch. When the two powers collided, a shower of sparks rained down upon the ground. The blood magic spell did not break apart though, continuing to slowly eat away at the defensive shield.
“I’m capable of protecting myself,” Gregory said in a dry mental tone while he worked.
“Of course, but your power is better spent fueling the new dome spell.”
He grunted in acknowledgment. Lillian returned her focus fully upon her enemy and flung one of her spears at the blood witch. The woman Gryton had called Taryin countered with another wave of her foul magic.
Already Lillian knew this wasn’t going to be a quick victory. If she wanted to kill the blood witch, she’d have to take her heart and burn it and once that was accomplished, burn the rest of her body, too. Otherwise, the witch would just regenerate.
Lillian dropped to all fours and charged forward only to have a wall of fire burst into being directly in front of her.
“Damn it, Gryton!”
“There’s no time.” He gestured, pointing behind him where Gregory’s dome spell was even now growing down toward the earth. “Mother, if you get caught outside Gregory’s new shield when it forms, it won’t go well. For either of us.”
Lillian was aware of the dangers, and she also knew she could survive outside the dome in a one on one fight with the blood witch, but Gryton was reaching his limit. She couldn’t risk him losing control, but he had that determined look she’d seen on Gregory’s face so damn many times over thousands of lifetimes. The one that said he wasn’t leaving her side.
Like father like son, apparently.
But Gryton had already sustained colossal trauma this day. She wouldn’t expose him to more.
“Beloved,” Gregory’s voice was suddenly in her mind. “You well and truly kicked the hornet’s nest. But now it is time we leave.”
Fine. Lillian glowered unhappily at the blood witch but backed toward Gregory’s position. At a muttered word from him, the new dome spell went through one last expansion phase and then snapped into place, forming an impenetrable shield between them and their enemies.
Pristine and powerful, the new dome shimmered in the early morning light. Two seconds later, the blood witch screamed as she tossed more magic at the shield.
The dome flared with power, its nebulous colors floating and shifting in swiftly changing patterns as the shield voraciously drank in the energy, using the magic to fuel its own defenses.
Gregory dropped down onto the grass next to her, one wing curling around her in a familiar, protective way. “We did not come here to start and end the war with the Battle Goddess in one day. We came to free Anna and Shadowlight. Instead, we have liberated our son and saved the Earth. That is not a terrible day’s work. Now we must return home and report all we have discovered.”
That slow simmering rage still bubbled in Lillian’s soul. She wanted to end the Battle Goddess once and for all. Unfortunately, Gregory was correct. Gryton’s power was unstable and to stay and continue the fight might end with their son’s death and much of this world’s as well.
Gryton deserved a chance to atone. He couldn’t do that if he were dead.
“You are wise my beloved protector.”
“Some of the humans need healing as well,” Gregory added, glancing over his shoulder at Resnick.
Outside the dome, the Battle Goddess’s army was rallying, but there was nothing they could do at present. They’d have to create another gateway if they wished to traverse the Veil between the Realms. It wouldn’t be easy, but Lillian didn’t doubt that with a blood witch’s help, they’d one day succeed. It just wouldn’t be today. And with luck, it would give her and Gregory time to
face Lord Death, mend some fences and get Shadowlight and Anna back.
“Draydrak?” She mentally reached eastward, in the direction his temple lay. “Old friend, I now know that I and my other half broke our vows in a past life and that we must make amends, but please, don’t take my brother from me, or the human he loves like family.”
She waited for a response. When none came, she forged on. “Dray, I know you might not have faith in my judgment after the breaking of our vows, but Anna and Shadowlight are pure, strong souls, capable of great courage. The Battle Goddess will not have changed that in so short a time. Please let them live to prove that to you.”
Lillian waited a few seconds longer, but no beautiful voice manifested in her mind.
Yep. She and Gregory needed to mend some fences with the Lord of the Underworld before they went to war with the Battle Goddess. In the meantime, she had to believe Lord Death would be merciful.
Speaking of mending fences. She glanced sidelong at Gryton and studied him for some moments. “You must return with us and own up to what you’ve done. In return, I promise to teach you how to better control your power so that nothing like what happened today will ever happen again.”
“I…thank you.” Gryton’s expression showed nothing, but she could feel the emotional need he tried to deny.
“Don’t thank me yet. The humans are going to want your head on a platter and I can’t say I blame them.”
Gryton turned to study the humans and his expression darkened.
“If you promise to behave, I won’t let that happen.”
“I shall…behave,” he said after a rather long awkward pause.
“Good.” She was certain he wouldn’t betray her. Besides, he had nowhere else to go. It was more likely he didn’t know what to do or how to act. She didn’t blame him. It wasn’t like her long existence had prepared her for a son.
Grunting, Gryton nodded slightly and then stalked over to the humans to help Gregory gather up the injured.
Once the others were gathered around the trunk of her hamadryad, Lillian joined them and glanced at Gregory. “We’re going to need to have a long talk about Gryton later.”
“I know.” He nuzzled at her hair. “But we also need to talk about us.”
Ah. Their relationship had changed again, hadn’t it? Gregory’s fear had come true: he’d lost his mate.
At least in his eyes. Lillian didn’t see it the same way. But he was correct, that was a conversation for later.
Closing her eyes, she summoned more power and touched the rough bark of her hamadryad. With a sense of being jerked forward and then falling, Lillian and the others were suddenly pulled back to the Mortal Realm.
Falling back was much easier than going the other direction.
Still, Lillian just stood in the shadow of her hamadryad tree for a few seconds, enjoying the sensation of being home.
“God, I need a beer,” muttered Stanton, still holding a hand pressed against his bleeding thigh.
“I second that,” Resnick said, but Lillian saw the way he was giving the death glare to Gryton.
Yep. The next debriefing was going to be long and joyless.
As if the thought of a debriefing summoned them, Gran came striding into the glade with several of the joint task force’s top brass marching behind. One of which was the tall, now familiar form of Brigadier General Mackenzie.
Oh crap. How the hell were they going to explain about his daughter?
Alcohol was starting to look like a good idea.
Chapter 42
After a day-long debriefing, where he and Lillian did a lot of explaining, persuading, soothing and even a good bit of pleading, the meeting ended with a lot of questions still unanswered. But Resnick and his team had seen what the Battle Goddess had attempted, and the major came to their defense, explaining what might have happened if they hadn’t saved Gryton. Plus, he was valuable for the intel he could provide.
It was true. No one knew as much about the Battle Goddess’s plans as Gryton did. In the end, the humans demanded that Gregory and Lillian collar him. To his surprise, Gryton merely nodded his head, saying that he’d expected nothing less.
After they’d created a powerful spell to stop Gryton from calling on his magic, Gregory had watched somewhat bemused as the male was led away under heavy guard, where he’d be taken to a cell and guarded by both humans and fae.
It wasn’t ideal for studying and determining if Gryton was redeemable, but the day had gone better than it could have.
After the debriefing, they returned to Lillian’s hamadryad where he gathered her in his arms and folded his wings around her, just holding her while they both gazed up into the hamadryad canopy. Every so often, he reached out and touched the tree, marveling at their miracle. A daughter. He and his beloved were having a daughter.
He was sure he still had a silly grin plastered on his face as they walked back to the house.
If he hadn’t sensed Lillian was emotionally and physically exhausted, not to mention hungry, he would have stayed longer.
She’d already returned to her dryad form before the debriefing, claiming that the humans were more comfortable around the more human-looking fae. Gregory hadn’t commented at the time, but he was sure her dryad form just felt more natural.
“I want to eat half the contents of the fridge,” Lillian said and then glanced sidelong at him. “Then I want a long, hot bath. With you in it.”
Gregory halted, but Lillian continued without a backward glance, although, she had to know he’d stopped.
Hesitantly, he said, “You know things must be different between us now that you are again the Mother’s Sorceress.”
Even as he’d allowed his sorrow to take on the form of words, he forced himself into motion. He caught up with her, but she still didn’t respond. “Lillian?”
“Uh-huh.” Lillian kept walking, only stopping at the fridge long enough to grab a couple plastic-wrapped sandwiches and two bottles of water some blessedly-thoughtful person had left for them.
They continued to their bedroom and Lillian set the sandwiches on the dresser and entered the bathroom. A moment later he heard the bathtub filling.
Seriously? For once he wanted to talk and she didn’t? Lillian always wanted to talk. About everything. All the time. He frowned, tempted to just reach into her mind and learn what she was truly thinking.
Lillian glanced over her shoulder and grinned. “Your expression is priceless. Yes, I know we can’t have intercourse while I’m the Sorceress. However, I don’t plan on being the Mother’s Sorceress forever, at least in this lifetime. I told you, once we’ve dealt with the Battle Goddess and her army, I plan to grow an entire glade of hamadryads, stow my soul in one of them and have lots and lots and lots of sex with you.”
Gregory swallowed wrong and started to choke.
“Don’t swallow your tongue, you idiot. If you die on me before we have a big-ass family, I’m going to come to the Spirit Realm and chew your ass out.” Lillian shrugged and grinned. “And besides, the Divine Ones didn’t smite us for begetting a daughter, so I doubt they’ll have a problem with us having a family this one time.”
That was likely true. “What is the human saying? Beg for forgiveness instead of ask for permission?”
“That’s the one.” Lillian grinned. “As much as it might not sound like it now, I, too, hold our vows to the Divine Ones close to my heart, but I don’t see this as breaking our faith with them. They never demanded we be chaste. We decided that to honor them. They only warned against the Mother’s Sorceress and the Father’s Gargoyle Protector begetting a child that wasn’t born of Divine will.”
Gregory closed his eyes, not because he wanted to deny what she was saying, but because he wanted to reach out and grab Lillian and pull her to him and kiss her until they both passed out from lack of oxygen.
“I know we can’t be mates until after we’ve completed what we were born for, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still be lovers. T
here are many creative ways to share our passion without risking a child. We won’t slip up this time. Light only knows, we already have Gryton. One of him is plenty for all three Realms to share. We’ve learned our lesson.”
Gregory chuckled, surprising himself. “I shouldn’t be laughing. This is far from funny.”
“No. Certainly not. We’re talking about our life and future happiness.” Warm, smooth fingers caressed his cheek and jaw, slowly trailing down his neck to rest on his shoulder. Lillian’s warmth brushed against him and then her lips were pressing little kisses along his muzzle.
“If you’d shapeshift, I could kiss you properly,” Lillian said with a hint of humor as she stepped back. “But if you’re not interested, I’ll just go take a cold shower instead of that bath.”
Gregory coughed. “The Divine Ones never mentioned a shared bath as being forbidden and they nurture creativity.”
“Then let’s get creative.” Lillian grinned and led him into the bathroom. He shapeshifted into his human form and leaned in for a kiss. Shortly thereafter, Lillian sighed and wrapped her arms around him.
It was much later by the time they stepped in the tub, and far later still before they climbed back out. Afterward, he carried Lillian to bed. She snuggled against him, half asleep when she suddenly jerked awake and sat up.
“There was something I was going to give you, but after the failed mission to rescue Shadowlight and Anna, I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate. Then I got thinking, we never know for certain how long we’ll live in any one lifetime. Seeing the future was never one of our gifts.”
Lillian rolled across the bed. At first, he didn’t know what she was after. Pulling open a drawer in her nightstand, she took out a small black box. Gregory’s eyebrows drew together in curiosity. What was his strange dryad up to now?
She crawled back to him and sat on her knees gazing down at him with warmth, humor, and love in her eyes.
“This was something I asked Daryna to create.” Lillian flipped the lip open. The small box had some kind of hinged lid. “It’s a human tradition, and if I was a man, I’d get down on one knee.”
Gargoyle and Sorceress Boxset 2 Page 42
