“Talk, sir?” the Corporal asked with a hint of sarcasm. “If only.”
The gargoyle bounded over to them with lightning fast speed and sniffed at Resnick. Having that much power and natural weaponry within inches of his exposed neck made Resnick’s pulse increase and his fingers itch for a gun.
Shadowlight shifted and leaned against Resnick’s right shoulder, jamming him against the door frame as the gargoyle’s muzzle came around to sniff along the underside of his jaw. Sweat trickled down Resnick’s back.
His men trained their weapons on the gargoyle.
Shadowlight flashed his fangs at the other soldiers and a deep growl issued from his throat.
“Whoa! He’s just taking in Resnick’s scent.”
“Easy!” He cautioned his men. “I’m good.”
Resnick remained unmoving as the gargoyle continued to inhale.
“He’s just getting my scent like the corporal said.” He rolled his eyes in her direction and mumbled, “Right?”
“Yes, sir.” She paused, seemed to think something over, and then chuckled. “Beware, though, they seemed to be rather social and will use every opening to get in a good lick.”
Now that gave new meaning to the term ‘take a licking.’ He raised a hand and slowly pushed the large muzzle away from his throat and then directed his next words at the young gargoyle. “You will not make any more of those sudden leaps at any of my personnel. Neither will you invade anyone’s personal space. There will be boundaries put in place for your protection.”
And for everyone else’s protection, because there was no way the bigger gargoyle was going to remain nice if something happened to his kid.
Shadowlight gave a deep, huffing cough. Resnick wasn’t sure if it was in annoyance or humor. Though he thought it might be humor.
Babysitting detail was sure going to be interesting.
Chapter 36
LILLIAN STOOD SHOULDER to shoulder with Gregory as they gazed up into her hamadryad. “Do you really think this is going to work?”
Gregory wasn’t one hundred percent sure if she had directed her question at him or the tree. Since the tree couldn’t verbalize words, he figured Lillian had directed her question at him.
Gregory turned more fully to her and nuzzled her shoulder.
“Yes. Commander Gryton would have come here initially on a recovery mission to save face with the Battle Goddess. If he’d been able to capture River and Darkness, or Shadowlight and the human, he could have returned to his goddess and likely retained his position, or at least his head.
But he failed in his attempt. Now we know he’s here. He is injured and knows he’s being hunted. It’s no longer a mission to save face. Now it is pure survival. His best bet for continued existence is to return to the Magic Realm. If he takes what he knows about this place to the Battle Goddess, he may keep his head.”
“That’s a lot of guesswork and speculation. What if he goes after Shadowlight again?”
“Commander Gryton won’t chance it—at least not until he’s healed. Once we close our net around him and force his hand, he will come to the hamadryad. He’ll have no choice.”
“Something isn’t right,” Lillian said and started to pace. “Why didn’t we know he was here?”
“Perhaps...,” Gregory touched the tattoo on his neck, “these prevented us.”
“Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.” Lillian paced a circle around the base of the tree.
Gregory was drawing breath to soothe her, or at least try to reassure her, when she spun around on her tree.
“Why didn’t you warn us?” Her question was aimed at the tree.
He cocked an ear at the tree but kept his attention on Lillian. “A hamadryad does not concern herself with mortal drama—it is but a blink of time to one of them. Besides, they do not communicate in complex thought.”
“You’re wrong. This one communicates. She isn’t a normal hamadryad. She is the Sorceress. You can’t tell me she didn’t know Gryton was here in the Mortal Realm. He had to have used the bridge the two hamadryads formed to travel here.” Lillian rounded the tree and came toward him, her expression troubled. “Why would she hide that from us? I’m telling you something isn’t right.”
He cast a thoughtful glance between Lillian and her hamadryad. He wanted to dismiss her concern. There was no way the Sorceress would intentionally hide Gryton’s presence. Yet Lillian was also correct. Why hadn’t the tree warned them in some way? While a hamadryad would not directly interfere with mortal drama as he’d said, she would still protect and warn her dryad of any and all dangers. Gryton was certainly a danger. One the Sorceress could not have missed.
Trailing his gaze slowly up the tree, the first hint of doubt crept into Gregory’s heart. What if the Battle Goddess had found a way to corrupt the tree?
His emotions churned and rolled, nearly a physical sensation.
No. It was not possible. The hamadryad was untouched by evil.
Still deep in his internal debate, Gregory was taken somewhat off guard by the arrival of a newcomer in the glade. The last thing he wanted to do was hold a conversation with one of the fae.
The sidhe paused at the maze’s south exit, glanced around the base of the tree, spotted them in the shadows of her wide branches and then made his stiff, slow way over to Gregory’s side. The signs of his time among the humans were still evident upon Whitethorn’s being.
A hint of foreign chemicals, what Lillian called drugs, still clung to the sidhe lord and his wrists showed the deep blue-black of bruises.
But it was good to see him back on his feet. Gregory reached out and gripped the sidhe’s shoulders. “It gladdens me to see you recovering.”
“I wished to thank you and your lady, as well as the other gargoyles, for saving the sprite and me from the humans.” He sighed and then gestured toward one of the picnic tables Gran had left in the maze. “If you have a moment.”
He and Lillian nodded and followed the sidhe.
Once Whitethorn was perched on the bench, he eyed them both with a frown. “You rely too heavily on your magic to protect and hide you.” He gestured at his own body armor. “I think it wise to have a few more layers of protection given how advanced the humans have become. They know we exist, and while they may be temporary allies, they could very well start hunting us again with little warning. If I hadn’t put so much faith in my magic, I might not have become their prisoner. As you already know, my metalsmiths have been working on body armor for you both, I have asked the other gargoyles to be measured and fitted as well. When finished, it will help protect against magic, bullets, and tranquilizer darts.”
Whitethorn held up his hand when Gregory made to comment. “I know you will be concerned about noise and mobility, but my master metalsmiths assure me what they have designed will impress. When you have a moment, they would like to fit them to you both and then meet with Darkness and Shadowlight as well.”
Gregory nodded agreement. The more layers between Lillian and harm the better.
Lillian folded her arms under her breasts. “Shadowlight won’t be near anymore fighting, but if it helps keep him safe, then yes, make sure he is fitted as well.” Her stance was one he was coming to know meant he might as well just agree to it now because the argument was already won—by her.
Gregory nodded to Whitethorn and then added, “How soon do you need us?”
“At your earliest convenience.”
Gregory nodded a second time, sensing they might need extra protection sooner rather than later.
Chapter 37
DISPLEASURE AT HIS own folly raced through Gryton’s blood. He’d allowed himself to fall into a trap even the child gargoyle, Shadowlight, would have seen.
He sprinted up a slight incline and then over the ridge to an easier trail once again. As he leaped over a fallen trunk, he glanced behind.
Human soldiers with their strange, handheld lights pursued him. Stranger still was their sidhe scout guiding them when they lost
his trail.
They were still a league distant and fell farther behind as he outpaced them. It was the same as the last three patrols he’d encountered.
He’d killed the first group, which, he reflected sourly, was probably what allowed the second group to reach his position. There had only been enough time for him to injure a number of that patrol before a third had arrived at the site, drawn by the noise.
Survival instincts had spurred him into motion then, escape more important than victory. It wasn’t until this newest patrol had picked up his trail that he realized there was an ambush, and he’d already stepped right into it.
A contingency he hadn’t foreseen had occurred. The fae had aligned themselves with the humans of this world and had somehow convinced the humans to hunt him instead.
His magic flared in warning seconds before he heard a high-pitched whine and a loud blast of sound as something leaving a fiery tail in its wake cut through the forest in his direction. He darted to the right as the tree to his immediate left blew apart.
Behind him, the forest exploded with heat, fire, and noise. A wave of force from the explosion knocked him to the ground. He rolled to his knees and summoned fire, sending it back the way the humans’ weapon had come.
His magic flew true, and then came shouts of warning followed by screams of pain. He didn’t stay to see how many his magic would claim. Lunging to his feet, he began to run.
There was only one direction.
He knew it as surely as his enemies did.
But it was the only way to escape this godless realm.
The hamadryad was his only chance of survival and if he hadn’t misread her emotions—and he didn’t think he had—she held enough maternal instinct for him that she might aid him. If she wouldn’t help him willingly, then she would aid him unwillingly.
As for his father—the Gargoyle Protector had never failed to send his enemies to the Spirit Realm for judgment.
Gryton’s lips peeled back from his fangs. They would soon see if father or son was stronger, he supposed.
This realm was not the battlefield he would have chosen for such a contest, but perhaps it was for the best.
The Gargoyle Protector was limited by this Realm and may not yet have come to terms with how best to fight without the full command of his power.
From the moment of his birth, Gryton had been limited. He’d spent centuries learning to use and not be used by his magic. He knew how to fight and win against impossible odds.
Though, he still felt his magic’s mad, mindless hunger to feed upon everything around him, always there to remind him of his misbegotten heritage.
A monstrous abomination that never should have been birthed upon the three Realms.
But he had been born.
And he planned to defy fate and the Divine Ones for many more centuries to come.
More weapons fire cut through the forest just steps behind, impacting the trees and undergrowth still shaking in his wake.
Gryton put on a burst of speed and then rolled and slid down another embankment and followed a stream for a few paces until another game trail presented itself.
He would live to see his enemies fall.
He’d just have to escape this forsaken realm first.
“WELL, I’LL BE DAMNED,” Anna whispered as she tracked the small flares of light suspended over a spell map depicting life-like forests, streams, hills, valleys, and roads in a hundred and fifty-kilometer radius around ground zero.
Ground zero, the hamadryad, was depicted on the floating map as a three-inch-high tree.
The map shimmered and shifted, homing in on the action.
“Fuck me,” Major Resnick mumbled under his breath as he studied the map, disbelief still evident in his eyes.
She doubted if she was supposed to hear, but her new gargoyle senses were still evolving. No one else other than Shadowlight would have heard her CO anyway.
So yeah. This shit was happening. Their teams were out there, herding a demigod in the direction they wanted.
A destination with three gargoyles, an assortment of fae, and an entire squadron just waiting for the evil overlord to poke his nose out of hiding. Oh, yeah.
She wished she could be there to see his helmeted head getting blown off his armor-clad shoulders.
Yet, as much as she wanted to see him dead, she was equally glad to be here, keeping Shadowlight out of trouble and as far from that monster as possible.
Darkness had talked the young gargoyle into staying here, away from the fight. When she’d asked Gran how he’d managed that, she’d grinned and said Shadowlight had a more important job. Protecting his pet human in case Gryton somehow discovered the tracking spell and followed it back to HQ.
Anna knew a lie when she smelled one. She was just glad the kid hadn’t sniffed it out yet.
“It wasn’t a lie,” Shadowlight said as he sidled up next to her and looked over the map. “Gran spoke the truth about Gryton being able to track the spell back to this location. Though he won’t come back this way. There are too many humans here, and they can now see past Gryton’s own personal shielding spells thanks to my father’s work.”
The kid was correct—his father had been busy weaving dampening spells all over the base.
Shadowlight butted her in the stomach, looking for a head scratch. “Gryton would, as you say, be taken out before he could harm us.”
Anna grunted and studied the map that the tracking spell was linked to in a new light.
Well, damn. So much for feeling the kid was safe from harm. Now the reason for all the guards in the room took on a new light. She’d just thought they were there to ‘guard’ her, the kid, and Gran and to ensure the other gargoyles and fae behaved.
Anna glanced back around the room, seeing it with new eyes.
All non-essential personnel had been removed—even the scientists had been ordered away, much to their loud and strident denials. Besides the ever-watchful guards, only a handful of the command staff was present. It made sense.
They were relaying intel to a secondary command site elsewhere.
She and Shadowlight were still present only because no one could forcibly move the half ton of gargoyle against his will.
Around the outside walls were the screens showing real-time data, satellite and drone feeds, radar, troop placements—everything trackable was being tracked using both magical and mundane means.
“Gryton isn’t trying to evade left or right. He’s moving in a straight line.” Gran pointed at the markers on the map, and then looked up at Major Resnick. “He knows he’s fallen into our net. Now he’s only interested in escape using the hamadryad. Keep your men out of his path. He’ll kill them before they have a chance to inflict serious harm on him. Leave him to us.”
Anna could see Colonel Tremblay having trouble following Gran’s suggestion. After a long hesitation, he ordered the teams to keep their distance and allow Specter Team to execute.
Anna grinned at the name given to the gargoyles.
“I want a team name,” Shadowlight said. “Why don’t we have a name? We’re a good team. We almost beat Gryton when he attacked us.”
“That’s not how I remember it going down.”
“He wanted to take you both alive,” Gran said in all seriousness and then added, “You’re T-team,” She grinned, “As in toddler team.”
“Nah, more like Pre-School One.” Anna turned serious again as another green blob floating above the map flared and went dark. Her fists tightened in silent rage. It marked the present position of a team just forty feet to the northwest of Gryton’s current location.
The darkening of the tracking spells couldn’t tell the watchers how many in each team had been killed. It only signaled a powerful wave of magic had just rolled over that unit’s location.
Human tech didn’t fare any better under the intense magical attacks.
Colonel Tremblay ordered more teams to assist.
Anna just hoped there was more
than bodies to assist when they got there.
Chapter 38
FROM HER POSITION UNDERNEATH the boughs of her hamadryad, Lillian watched and waited.
And waited some more.
Dropping to all fours, she paced around the tree’s perimeter, the weight of her new armor and swords shifted slightly as she moved, but as promised, they made no noise. At first, the change in her balance had felt strange to her, but she’d grown used to it quickly enough.
When her feet made to wander even as her mind was, Gregory huffed out a warning growl. She tilted her head in acknowledgment and stalked back to the tree’s base.
Gregory had commanded her to wait at the hamadryad’s base, saying the tree would protect her from Commander Gryton.
Lillian wasn’t so sure. What she felt from the tree was vague, confusing, but it didn’t feel like a warning or alarm. She’d already told him of her concerns more than once, and he denied them flat out. She was debating revisiting that conversation again. If there was even a slim chance her hamadryad and Gryton were working together, it was just too important to ignore.
“Gregory,” she called to his mind. “Link with me. You need to feel my tree’s emotions.”
He turned an ear back in her direction but didn’t move from his spot next to the stone pillar marking the north entrance to the maze. Darkness was guarding the south entrance. They both claimed Gryton would likely navigate the labyrinth instead of going through it or over it since the cedar maze had a taste for blood and magic, thanks to the leshii.
If they got through the next few hours, she planned to thank Greenborrow for planting and designing the maze all those years ago.
Long after Lillian had given up on getting a response from Gregory, he answered her earlier inquiry. “The hamadryad is alert, sensing our battle readiness, but she is not concerned. She does not consider Gryton a dire threat to us and trusts me to be able to dispatch him.”
The Complete Gargoyle and Sorceress Boxset (Books 1-9) Page 75