First Queen of the Gryphons (Ishtar's Legacy Book 5)

by Lisa Blackwood

  She unwrapped what was going to be her midday meal and offered it to the beast. Again, his ear flicked in her direction.

  At last, he moved, turning his regal head to gaze first at her and then her offering.

  “I know it isn’t much, but I’m happy to share.” Her pulse surged when his deadly sharp beak moved closer to her fingers.

  She tucked her thumb tight against her palm, hoping he wouldn’t bite off her whole hand.

  He took the first strip gently, and she breathed out a sigh of relief. He rolled it around in his beak for a moment, savoring the flavor. All the while he never took his gaze from hers.

  After a moment, he leaned forward and snatched up another length of the jerky. When she offered a third piece, she reached out with her other hand to stroke the feathers of one cheek.

  They were small and silky soft. She grinned when he pressed his head more firmly against her hand. If she wasn’t mistaken, he was looking for head scratches just like the village cats.

  She obliged, slowly working her way farther back until she was rubbing his ears. A deep, rumbling purr filled the air.

  “Goodness,” Amata laughed. “That’s hardly regal or kingly.”

  The gryphon didn’t seem upset that she laughed at him, but just to be sure, she renewed her scratches and praised his magnificence.

  He preened at her words, standing taller and flicking his wings.

  “You’re a lord of the skies, aren’t you? Ruler of all you see.” Amata could understand how the priestess might make up stories about him and think him a king. He was a king among beasts.

  The gryphon responded with more purring as he shoved his head against her hard enough to almost lift her off her feet.

  “Easy or you will shove me right over the side of the cliff.”

  He must have understood something in her tone for he shifted to move them farther from the cliff’s edge.

  “Well, I’m going to go hunting for my next meal. Would you like to come?” Amata asked.

  She might not yet know how much he understood, but when she looped her arm through her satchel’s straps and started away, he followed, padding along beside her like a loyal dog.

  When she glanced around to where she’d last seen the priestess, the other woman was gone.

  How had Ereshti vanished so thoroughly without so much as a sandal scraping against the rocky ground or the sound of a displaced pebble rolling down the slope?

  But the gryphon grew impatient at her hesitation and bumped his beak under her hand and purred again.

  “Fine. You can have more scratches after I’ve killed something for my meal.” However, even as she said the words, her fingers ruffled his feathers.

  After another session of scratches, Amata started down the path, heading for the distant valley floor. There would likely be rabbits down in the long grass growing along the stream that snaked its way along the valley floor.

  She was pleased to find her new friend was following along behind.

  Chapter 7

  The sun was high in the sky by the time Amata had a fire going and three rabbits suspended over the coals. She hadn’t expected the gryphon to hunt for her, but he’d taken great pleasure in pursuing the rabbits, making a game of stalking them and then pouncing on them once he was close enough.

  His speed on the ground was breathtaking and more than a little frightening. After each kill, he’d proudly carried the rabbit to her where she waited by the fire. It hadn’t taken her long to figure out he wanted her to cook for him.

  The gryphon flopped his backside down and curled his tail around his legs while he waited.

  Amata snorted. “Not sure how familiar you are with cooked meals, but it takes time. I’m going to go clean up in the stream. You can stay and guard our meal if you like.”

  By the way the gryphon was watching the rabbits, she expected one to be gone by the time she got back. She likely should stay to make sure he didn’t accidentally dump them all in the fire’s embers, but she’d smeared blood across her face at one point while she was butchering their dinner.

  She was halfway to the stream when the gryphon rose to follow.

  “You my new shadow?” she asked him.

  As expected, he didn’t respond so she kept up her one-sided conversation. “Hillalum. Still don’t know why the priestess would give you a human name. Doesn’t suit your personality very well.”

  She continued to talk in soft tones as she stripped off her robe. After unlacing her sandals, she stuck a toe in the water.

  “Goddess! It’s freezing. Must be the runoff from the last storm.”

  She braced herself and knelt in the cold water. Swiftly splashing herself, she washed away the blood, dust, and sweat from the long day of travel.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the gryphon paw at the water.

  “It won’t get any warmer,” she said and laughed at his antics. “You might as well just wade in and get clean.”

  In a sudden move that surprised a grunt out of Amata, the gryphon reared up on his hind legs and spread his wings for balance. She could only stare on in shock as a bright light surrounded him. She yelped in surprise and fell back on her rump in the cold water.

  Magic, she realized belatedly. That was the source of the light surrounding his body.

  The priestess had been correct about him being goddess chosen. This gryphon was no ordinary beast. He was blessed by the gods if he could summon magic.

  A moment later, another of the priestess’s statements was proven correct.

  Amata stared in shock at the human male standing in the exact spot where there had been a big gryphon only moments before.

  When her brain worked again, she scrambled backward out of the stream and partway up the opposite bank.

  He’d been a gryphon and now he wasn’t.

  Oh, goddess in the heavens.

  Instinct urged her to turn and run, but she couldn’t look away long enough to do so.

  Her gaze locked with his. Strangely, the longer she looked at him, the calmer she felt. By the time he lowered himself into a crouch, she was able to speak.

  “Goddess, she wasn’t lying.” Had everything else the priestess said been true as well? “Oh, by the great goddess Ishtar! I need to go back, find the priestess, and have a really long talk.”

  Or turn and run and keep running until she was back in her village.

  And yet… if she ran back to her boring life, she would never again have a chance to talk to and study a gryphon who could shape shift into a man.

  And what a man he made.

  Her eyes took in the sight of the most handsome face she’d ever seen. Unlike the men of her village, he was clean shaven, which allowed her to admire his high cheekbones, strong jawline and firm, sensual lips. Though his dark brown eyes framed by thick black lashes were still his most striking features.

  Beautiful.

  A wild black mane held hints of a dark red in the sunlight. It reminded her of his black wing feathers with their burgundy banded tips.

  But that was the only thing that reminded her of the gryphon he’d been.

  In all other ways, this male looked fully human—a well-muscled fellow.

  His broad shoulders were in proportion with his wide chest. Muscles defined his powerful torso all the way to the slight protrusions of his hipbones.

  Her eyes drifted to a magnificent shaft nestled in a spongy nest of short black curls at his groin.

  Amata licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry as she flushed with heat. With more than a bit of effort, she forced her eyes elsewhere, and she then found herself admiring his powerful thighs and muscular calves.

  Then the sight of his toes flexing in the soft mud of the stream bank broke the spell trapping her.

  She needed to get dressed and retrieve her bow and sword. Now.

  While she’d been coming to trust the gryphon, he was human now, and it reminded Amata of the priestess’s comment about how Hillalum was mature and lookin
g for a mate.

  Her gaze strayed back to his shaft. At least he wasn’t aroused. But that didn’t mean he would remain uninterested. Amata slowly crawled backward until she’d put some distance between them.

  Unfortunately, her robe, sandals, and weapons were on his side of the stream, and if she didn’t want to hike home naked, that meant she’d have to approach his position to retrieve her belongings.

  Curse the gods!

  She continued to eye the male. He’d done nothing threatening yet. In fact, he was now splashing and scrubbing himself. Drops of water sparkled in the sunlight as they ran down his glorious body.

  Heat curled stronger through her blood as she watched him. She wasn’t the only one staring.

  “Don’t mind me,” she said to break the awkward silence. “I’m just going to grab my clothing.”

  She did as she said and then quickly pulled her robe back over her body. The material clung to her wet skin, but she didn’t care.

  Amata continued to reverse toward the small cooking fire she’d built. Belatedly she remembered how put out he’d been when she’d left without saying goodbye to him last night. Leaving again in haste might prove dangerous. She needed to handle this delicately.

  He’d followed her back to the fire.

  “Here. You must be cold.” She reached into her satchel and drew out her sleeping blanket. “Take this.”

  Needing to get him covered up had less to do with the cold and more to do with how she had trouble thinking with him standing there all naked and breathtaking.

  He tilted his head to study her again, his gaze locked onto her lips. After a moment he padded over to her location by the fire. Padded. She had no other words for the easy swaying walk that drew her eyes to him as he circled the fire to come to her.

  She held the blanket out to him. He stared at her hand but didn’t take it. Thinking he might not know what to do with it, she swung it around her own waist in a demonstration and then held it back out to him.

  After another slight hesitation he reached out and grasped it, then pulled it around his waist and tied a knot without being shown how. That told her he’d had instructions in the past.

  The priestess had likely been teaching him skills.

  He reached out and turned the rabbits. As she watched grease drip into the fire, she wondered if he could talk. He seemed to understand a great deal even when he was in gryphon form.

  Leaning forward, she used a stick to poke the cooking embers.

  “Can you speak?” she asked at last.

  He didn’t answer. Instead, gazing at her mouth again as if fascinated by the sound of her voice or the movement of her lips.

  Amata continued to eye him, trying to place his age. He looked somewhere between eighteen and twenty-five summers, but for all she knew, he might be much younger or far older. She didn’t know the life span of gryphons or how Hillalum’s mixed heritage might affect how he aged.

  Leaning forward again, she gave the rabbits another turn, but all her attention was for Hillalum.

  Now his human name made sense. She needed to apologize.

  “I’m sorry if you found any of my earlier behavior toward you insulting, I wasn’t aware that… that what the priestess said was…. true.” Because I thought she was mind-touched and sputtering rubbish.

  Humor glinted in his eyes, and she was confident he could understand her at least.

  “I am sorry for any insult.”

  He gave her a shy smile and nodded.

  Goddess, she tried to remember what all she’d said to him since they’d met.

  Please let me not have called him a foolish beast, she thought.

  But Hillalum seemed unconcerned that she was only now realizing the depth of his intelligence.

  Perhaps she should pretend this was their first meeting. Strangers were always welcomed with hot tea and warm food in her village. Deciding that was the thing to do, she pulled out her small battered cup and waterskin.

  “Wait here. I’ll be right back. Just need water to make the tea.”

  She collected the water and then was soon back at the fire suspending it to heat. From inside her satchel, she pulled her small supply of tea leaves. It was rare—the merchant only came to the village twice a year—so her supply was running low. But she’d gladly share some with her wondrous new companion.

  It would be nice to share a meal with someone. She missed that, but after her father and younger brother had been killed by the raiders, there wasn’t anyone back home. She’d never sought marriage. It wasn’t like she could trust the men of her village not to be more interested in her flock than her. Her flock would easily double a potential husband’s own wealth. She only wanted a husband if he wanted her, not her sheep and goats.

  While the water was warming, she stole glances across the fire to study him. He attended to the hares, turning them every so often which allowed her to simply watch him and marvel.

  Soon the water was warm enough, and she poured it over the scattering of leaves in the bottom of her clay drinking vessel. While it steeped, she blew upon it to help it cool.

  She took a sip to show him it was for drinking and then held it out for him.

  He took the heavy vessel and after sniffing it, took a sip. A second and third soon followed. His eyes shone with humor as he gazed over the cup’s rim at her. Once he’d taken a fourth drink, he handed the vessel back to her.

  “I take it you like tea?”

  His grin had the power to halt the thoughts in her head. Goddess. He was absolutely the loveliest man she’d ever gazed upon.

  Keep your wits about you, Amata, she mentally scolded herself. He might be pretty, but he’s a gryphon. And can shift back and kill you with a swipe of a paw.

  They continued like that, sharing the tea, while the rabbits were cooking over the embers. Eventually, Amata relaxed enough to begin talking of random things from her life and childhood. She’d be the first to admit, she was no great entertainer, but he seemed content to sit drinking tea while she told him stories.

  When the meat was done, they shared that as well. Once they’d picked the bones clean, Amata sighed and leaned back to stare up at the sky.

  The afternoon was stretching toward evening.

  “As much as I’m enjoying this,” and she was surprised at the truth in her words, “we should return to the temple and search for the priestess. I need to have a long talk with her.”

  Hillalum glanced up at her with a mischievous look in his eyes and delicately licked the grease from his fingers.

  Amata watched him until she realized she was staring again. Goddess, did he even have to make that look sensual?

  “I’ll shift and fly back to make sure the priestess is there when you arrive,” he said as he rose to tower over her.

  “You can talk!”

  “Yes.” His grin grew broader as he untied the blanket from around his waist and dropped it in her lap. “I’ll meet you back at the temple.”

  Then the golden light surrounded him and blinded her for a moment. When she could see again, the black gryphon stood before her. But she wasn’t given a chance to continue her line of questioning for he broke into a run and launched himself into the air.

  Amata glowered at his retreating form.

  “Men,” she muttered as she began to break camp. “Always keeping secrets.”

  Chapter 8

  When Amata made it back to the temple, she found the priestess in the altar chamber praying. It took every scrap of patience Amata possessed to wait until Ereshti was finished.

  “He’s human!” Amata nearly shouted the words as the priestess turned to face her.

  Ereshti only arched an eyebrow. “Is that not what I said? I wasn’t aware you had difficulty hearing.”

  “I didn’t believe you.” Amata scowled, though didn’t know whether she was angry at herself or the priestess. “Your story was too fantastical to be true!”

  “Well, since you’ve seen him with your own eyes, I’ll
also remind you he is one of Ishtar’s most beloved creations and the King of the Gryphons.”

  “But you did not warn me…” Amata bit off the sentence.

  Ereshti smirked. “I did not warn you he is one of the most breathtaking examples of the male gender you will ever see? Or I didn’t warn you that he’d be as naked as the day he was born the first time you saw him in human form? No, I suppose I’m guilty of overlooking those two details.”

  “I.” Amata snapped her teeth closed before she said something to feed the priestess’s mirth. “You are…”

  “Generous to have told you as much as I did?” The priestess arched an eyebrow. “In all seriousness, are you ready to listen to everything else I have to say?”

  Amata bowed respectfully. “Yes, great priestess.”

  “Good. For Ishtar and I know each other very well, and she wants you and King Hillalum to rid this land of the raiders. To do this, she will shape you into a tool for that purpose.”

  Amata stood a little straighter. While she usually wouldn’t want to become entangled in the affairs of the gods, she despised the raiders. Never had she had a chance to strike out at the ones who’d destroyed her family.

  But now a goddess was offering her a chance to seek revenge.

  “What do I have to do?”

  “Allow Ishtar to share her power with you. She will shape and remake you into a warrior. You will be a protector to King Hillalum and Ishtar’s Avenging Blade sent to destroy those who foolishly slay her worshippers and raid her temples.”

  A gift of vast power to destroy her family’s murderers? In exchange, Amata would serve a goddess. That sounded like a fair trade.

  “How do I begin?”

  “So impatient.” Ereshti gesture around her to the carvings on the walls. “There is much you must learn.”

  Amata nodded. What more did she need to hear, though?

  “You know the story of how Ishtar once ventured into the underworld to challenge her sister Ereshkigal to forfeit the dying time when the earth rests and no crops grow? To reach her sister’s realm, Ishtar had had to shed a portion of her power at each of the gates leading into the underworld. By the time Ishtar crossed the final seal to enter the underworld, she’d surrendered much of her power to get that far.”