Gargoyle and Sorceress Boxset 2

by Lisa Blackwood

  Once deep inside Death’s temple—a gigantic structure that easily dwarfed the great pyramids—Dray led them to an altar room where he said he’d need some time to prepare. As far as Anna could tell, he merely stood in the center of the room where his four swords had been driven partially into the stone. He stood in the center of the circle, his back to them, his monstrous wings folded against his equine body.

  Anna kept her eyes firmly glued to the stone beneath her feet, or sometimes on Obsidian, where he stood silent and watchful at her side.

  Anywhere that wasn’t Dray’s naked horse-like rump.

  “Relax, there is nothing to see,” Obsidian’s voice encroached upon her thoughts, followed by a hearty dose of humor. “Lord Dray relates as male, but since the Divine Ones have yet to bless our Lord with a mate, he chooses to remain genderless.”

  Anna was about to sneak a peek when Lord Draydrak’s statue-like body moved at last.

  He raised his head from its bowed position and reached out to draw his swords from the stone they’d melted into. Then almost too swiftly to follow, he crossed the four blades. At the contact, they began to hum.

  It rose from a deep tone to something higher and purer. A great flash of light followed and the blades vanished. The demigod now glowed with fierce light.

  Anna took an involuntary step back.

  Flames in tones of blues and purples licked along his body, growing increasingly paler and brighter by the second. She shielded her eyes from the blinding illumination bleeding through his skin.

  Then his form shimmered like a mirage in the heat. The next moment it disintegrated into a million bolts of light, swirling in a shimmering vortex.

  Anna’s breath froze in her lungs, her fingers curled around her sword’s hilt.

  Then, the bright, pure soul that was the essence of the Lord of the Underworld reached out with a tendril of power and touched Obsidian on the chest.

  Her Rasoren grunted in discomfort. Though he held his ground. Instinctively Anna reached out to share his pain. Some force prevented her from reaching Obsidian’s mind. Or any part of him, she realized belatedly.

  A shield of energy now surrounded him.

  Panic rose within. Her magic flared brighter in response. The part of her mind that wasn’t all fear and instinct knew Lord Draydrak wasn’t killing her Rasoren. But it was still a mighty battle to keep herself rooted in place.

  “Easy, Anna, my intent is not to harm your beloved partner, though it is indeed painful for him. However, this will make him stronger. Strong enough to challenge the male half of the Avatars and wrestle control of the Gargoyle Legion from him.”

  What the fuck? No one had mentioned Obsidian would have to fight Gregory.

  Anna’s heart hammered in her chest and blood rushed in her ears, but she held onto control by the tips of her talons.

  “When I am finished, Obsidian will be stronger than ever, and so will you.”

  Anna nodded sharply and then sat on her haunches to wait, telling herself it would be over soon, and then she could comfort and pamper Obsidian after this newest ordeal.

  After close to an hour, the pure, bright power with its strange mix of heat and cold pulled back from Obsidian, revealing him curled on his side.

  The magic hadn’t entirely faded from his skin, and she was already at his side, curling her gargoyle body around him protectively.

  His skin was shifting to gray, hardening to stone as she watched.

  “He will need to rest while his body adjusts to the gift I have just given him. When he wakes, the time portal will carry you both back to Haven one last time. There Obsidian will wake the rest of my Legion. Once that is done, you both will return to the Mortal Realm and face the Avatars.”

  Anna blew out the breath she’d been holding. “Our training was cut short. I doubt we can fight the Avatars and win.”

  “It is unfortunate we don’t have more time together. All I can say in comfort is that some battles require more than physical and magical strength. While Obsidian’s task will be to challenge Gregory for control of the Legion, your task will be to convince the Sorceress to return to me for a long overdue talk.”

  “Just to talk?” Anna asked as she settled a wing over Obsidian. After what he’d just endured, she wanted him to know she was near even in sleep.

  “Yes.” The glowing nebulous energy contracted back upon itself, taking on shape and form once more. When she could see clearly, he’d returned to his previous fearsome form.

  “I will do my best to convince her.”

  “Good. Our talk about Gryton is long overdue.”

  “Gryton? He’s trouble.”

  “More than you know. Yet we may need him if we hope to win the war with as few casualties as possible.”

  Again, Anna found it strange that a being who oversaw trillions of deaths across the universe daily still worried about casualties.

  Thank God he did. Otherwise, he might decide to start fixing problems with the sweep of a sickle.

  “I have a question.” He lowered himself to the ground, his long legs folding under him in that graceful way he managed. “What is it with the comparison with death and an agricultural implement? I am no farmer. And a sickle would make a poor tool.”

  “You don’t talk to newly returned souls?”

  “No. Almost never. They are always too excited to return home after a long journey.”

  Bemused by the picture he painted and that a demigod would ask her a question, she explained the origin of the symbolism.

  “A reaper? But I harvest nothing for myself. I merely set a soul free.” He sounded somewhat affronted.

  “Well, you did say you experienced their joy, right? So some would argue you are harvesting something.”

  His ears cocked forward, giving him a somewhat surprised look. Anna felt her lips twitch.

  “Hmph. I suppose.” His expression turned more serious after a time. “While I do not like sending a soul back to the Spirit Realm before they’ve had a chance to learn something of value, my sister will make sure that many lives are cut short in the coming war.”

  Anna grunted. “Well. If the Divine Ones should ever get around to giving you a mate, she better be a healer to lighten your workload.”

  Death laughed with her then, and Anna realized her life couldn’t get much stranger. When Dray mastered his humor, he slowly climbed to his feet.

  “Rest Kyrsu. The Council and I will see that Haven is ready to evacuate. When your Rasoren wakes, he will have the strength and knowledge to wake the rest of my army.”

  He turned and started away but paused at the base of a large set of stairs. “It was nice to talk with you, Anna Mackenzie. I look forward to the next opportunity.”

  Yeah, because having Death end a conversation with an ‘I hope to see you soon’ was always comforting.

  Still bemused by her exchange with Dray, she just shook her head and then pressed her muzzle gently against Obsidian’s stone cheek, giving him a loving little lick before tucking her head against her shoulder.

  She’d nap while the opportunity presented itself. There was no telling when the next chance would appear. Not with battle preparations to make and their impending return to Earth and all they’d left behind.

  Now the thought of a court-martial was the least of her worries.

  Chapter 54

  Master Thayn led the way, leaping over rocky terrain and the occasional fallen tree or low hanging branch. Knowing his extreme age, it was easy to forget he could kick all their asses. And, oh, how he liked to remind them of that fact.

  Obsidian ran full out to keep up with the elder, while Anna took up the rear. Though he was aware, her slighter build allowed her to run faster, and she could outpace him if she chose.

  Especially now, since his body was still adjusting to the gift of added strength and magical power Lord Draydrak had entrusted to him.

  They’d used the time portal to return to Haven, and then made their flight to the mainland. Tha
yn led them farther north than Obsidian had ever traveled. They continued until the shimmering veil between the realms could be seen where it separated this small contained land from the rest of the realms.

  They’d come nearly to the edge of this spell world.

  Obsidian put on a burst of speed to lead them up the last short run to the summit. From this elevation, they could see much of the mainland below them and the curtain wall of the veil where it curved out toward the ocean.

  He looked south and east. If the day had been clear, he would have seen the island of Haven, a dark mass on the horizon. But it was too misty this morning.

  Yet when they crested the summit and peered down into the broad valley below, the mist from the ocean had not yet rolled this far inland and he had a clear view of the valley floor.

  Hundreds of thousands of gargoyle statues lined the river.

  “Holy shit,” Anna whispered as she came to stand at his right shoulder.

  “Their dryad counterparts are also spelled to dormancy inside their hamadryads. If you looked to the surrounding slopes, you'd come to recognize the trees with sleeping dryads inside.”

  Thousands of the trees were leafless. But his magic confirmed they weren’t dead like they looked.

  “Hamadryads go dormant in regions where the winter snows lay deep,” Thayn explained for Anna’s benefit. “During that time, a dryad can choose to sleep away the cold months within her tree. Lord Dray simply extended that ability to last for a few hundred years. When they wake, neither dryad nor hamadryad will have suffered from the extra-long sleep.”

  Anna whistled long and loud, surprising Obsidian since he hadn’t known gargoyles could whistle.

  “That’s a damned lot of gargoyles. Is there enough food in the universe to feed that many?” Anna’s comment was in jest, but she raised a valid concern.

  “They will be hungry when they wake,” Thayn agreed. “But this far inland, there will be plenty of prey in the woods. However, we have also been adding to the stores for hundreds of years and have enough in reserve to feed the army for five years. Though I doubt the war will drag on that long.”

  While Thayn and Anna commented about the army’s strengths and weaknesses, Obsidian turned his attention inward, seeking the new wellspring of power Lord Draydrak had given him. It rose at his slight touch, eager to do his bidding, or perhaps to fulfill one of its purposes.

  Whatever the cause, the magic filled him, flooding his body with the intense power until his skin frosted over. Anna stepped nearer, offering her own strength if he needed it.

  “It won’t be needed this time, my Kyrsu.” He infused his words with an appreciation for her offer.

  Anna nodded and silently stepped back, giving him space to work.

  Power and instinct merged into one strong purpose, and without a hint of hesitation, he released the magic building inside him.

  “Wake,” he ordered as the thrumming magic raced away from him.

  When he was sure the wild and turbulent power would obey his command, he fed it more of his strength.

  Expanding out, away from his body, the warm wave grew in height and strength as it rolled down the mountainside. When it reached the first dormant hamadryad a quarter of the way down the slope, a blue iridescence surrounded the tree, outlining every branch.

  As the wave descended, more and more hamadryads lit up with shimmering energy, the dryads inside stirring awake for the first time in centuries.

  The glimmering wave of power continued to the bottom. When it touched the first line of gargoyle statues, they awoke, shifting their wings as they stretched.

  Already they were turning to look up the slope, their gazes finding him unequivocally. Next, they sensed his female Kyrsu and their thoughts were awash with surprise. There would likely be much discussion about Anna once again, but he didn’t doubt they would see her fierce, pure soul and come to trust her in time.

  They had to.

  The wave he’d released continued across the valley floor and then began to climb up the opposite side. It took a little direction from him to send it outward to continue its search for more sleepers, but the power obeyed his will.

  When at last he sensed no other sleepers, he ordered the power to halt and merge harmlessly with the surroundings, where both gargoyles and dryads could tap into the bounty to weave clothing, weapons, and armor from shadow magic.

  “It is done.” He sounded tired even to his own ears.

  “You did well, youngling,” Thayn said with a big grin. “Exactly what I’d expect from one of Rook’s prize pupils.”

  Anna thumped Obsidian along his shoulders. “Eh? Guess basic training is over.”

  “It is,” he agreed and bumped his muzzle against hers in return. “I’m glad I finally grew into the partner you needed.”

  Anna laughed and swatted his flank with her tail. “You were always what I needed. I just didn’t realize that your love wasn’t a threat until far too late.”

  He was glad she’d discovered that much. He now hoped their love would be given a chance to bloom into something as profound as the Avatars shared.

  Anna snorted. “Gear down, big trucker. Let’s focus on surviving the war, first.”

  He caressed her cheek and suddenly switched to their link. “Even if we never become more than brother and sister in arms, what we share now is enough for me.”

  Anna grinned at him, her tail flicking in an invitation to come play. “It damn well should be. We already share one mind, one heart, and one soul. That’s a far deeper connection than most anyone else will ever experience, or have you managed to forget that?”

  “Forget?” He grinned. “With you yammering away in my thoughts all day long?”

  He dropped to all fours and batted at her tail playfully.

  “Yammer?” She raced a quick circle around him before pouncing, though her talons were turned into her palms to avoid scratching his skin.

  “Anna, Obsidian! Aren’t you going to greet your Legion?”

  Obsidian glanced over his shoulder even as his magic responded to his command.

  “Come hunt with me, my brothers and sisters of the Legion.”

  The eldest of the gargoyles threw back his head and howled with laughter.

  “I think Thayn is rubbing off on you,” Anna remarked.

  “Maybe a little,” he admitted. “But there is something addictive about tossing tradition to the wind and just being one’s self.”

  “Suppose I can see the draw.” She looked out over the valley. “Are we going to hunt for all of them?”

  “No, but enough that we’ll instill a sense of family in them. They are, after all, our new family.”

  “Going to make for damn big family reunions,” Anna muttered as she started down into the valley, her ears tilted forward on the hunt for prey.

  Obsidian gave chase, happy to follow.

  In fact, he’d be happy to follow his second in command anywhere.

  Even toward war and an unknown future.

  THE END

  THE STORY CONTINUES IN SORCERY & FIREDRAKES.

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