Anna was somewhat surprised to hear the harsh tone directed at Daryna.
Huh? So, the male half of the demigod pairing could and would get pissed off at his female half.
If Anna wasn’t so worried about Shadowlight, she might have investigated that more.
“How long do you need to track down Gryton?”
“A few hours. But I must look over Lillian to make sure she and our child are both well. And the humans will want to be brought up to date.” Gregory glanced at the darkening sky. “I’ll start the hunt at dawn after I’ve had a chance to make sure Lillian is fully healed.”
“I’m fine,” the other woman piped up, “we can start the hunt now.”
“No,” Gregory said in a deep rumble as he wrapped Lillian in the protective shelter of his wings. “I felt your pain and desperation during the battle with Gryton. You need healing.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m a gargoyle. My body is already healing.”
Daryna laid a hand over Lillian’s abdomen. “He’s worried about our child.”
That got Lillian’s attention. Her tail stopped flicking and her wings wrapped around herself as if that would help protect her unborn child.
Anna wasn’t the maternal type. Didn’t want kids. And yet she still felt a strong, soul-deep sympathy for the poor woman.
Out loud, Anna added, “Let Gregory take care of you. Then he won’t be distracted when he goes to hunt down Gryton. I’ll get Resnick up to speed with the situation.”
Because, by God, if Anna wasn’t given a job, she was going to lose her shit. She couldn’t help it. The need to rescue the kid was almost overwhelming.
“Thank you,” Lillian said.
Gregory and Daryna supported Lillian between them as they walked from the maze.
Anna was left with a very unhappy looking Resnick. He stopped before her, frowned down at her, and then took in the scene. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy to see you alive. But what the hell happened? I’m getting conflicting reports. Start talking.”
Anna stood at attention. “Yes, sir.”
At least telling him everything she knew gave her a purpose.
Chapter 25
LILLIAN ALLOWED DARYNA and Gregory to help her back to the cottage. Once there, Gregory simply pulled her into his arms and carried her up to their rooms. No small feat since she was still in her gargoyle form and was as tall as him, if not quite as heavily muscled.
Daryna kept pace with them and Lillian’s battered body drank in the healing power of the Mother’s Sorceress. At the moment, she couldn’t summon a speck of anger or distrust for Daryna. She was just happy to have help, since it might be the difference between life and death for her unborn child.
Once they entered the master bedroom, Gregory carried her to the bed and sat down with her. He kept her in his lap, his wings and arms circling her protectively.
“Is our child all right?” Lillian directed the question at both Daryna and Gregory, not caring who answered.
Daryna dropped down in front of Lillian and gripped her wrists. Taking a pulse? Weaving more magic?
“Our little one is strong,” she said as she glanced between Lillian and Gregory. “All is well. Although, sleep will certainly be beneficial.” Again, Daryna paused. “Are you sure you don’t wish to know our child’s gender?”
“You can tell already?”
“Yes. Gargoyle offspring develop much faster than humans.”
“I...” Lillian began but paused and let her hands drop to her stomach. She wanted this baby to be a surprise. But more importantly, she didn’t want to associate this new life with darkness or unhappiness. Now, with Shadowlight captured, it was far from a joyous time.
But what did Gregory want?”
Lillian turned just enough so she could look up at him. “Do you wish to know?”
His muzzle dipped down to nuzzle her hair and lower still to caress her cheek. “No. I believe there should still be some mysteries in the universe.”
Lillian pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Good. A surprise it shall be.”
She looked back to find Daryna’s gaze turned inward, vague and far away.
“Are you well?” She asked the other woman just to see what kind of answer she’d get. “Drawing on power is damaging to you, isn’t it?”
“I am well, but now that you are healed, you should get some rest. Gregory will stay with you while I go and meet with Vivian, Greenborrow, and the other Fae Council members. We need to find out and reverse whatever Gryton did to Whitethorn and Goswin.
Lillian nodded. The sooner the two Fae were freed from whatever spell had enslaved their minds, the better. What other powers did Gryton possess that they had yet to discover? She hadn’t known Gryton had the ability to control another’s mind.
“Very well,” Daryna said. “I shall go. But when I return, I had better find you both fast asleep.”
“Yes, my Sorceress,” Gregory said in a respectful tone, but there was a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Daryna stood, gave Lillian one more probe with her magic, and then made her way toward the door.
After she was gone, Lillian reached out and wrapped Gregory’s arms even more firmly around her body.
“I want a shower, but I also just want to be held,” she admitted.
“I don’t see why we can’t do both,” Gregory said as he nuzzled her hair again. “Although there is no way two gargoyles will fit in the shower. Do you feel up to shapeshifting back to your dryad form?”
Lillian sighed, not wanting to dredge up the strength required to shapeshift, but the thought of being clean swayed her into summoning her magic. After a few swift, mostly painless moments, her body morphed back into her smaller dryad form.
Gregory continued to nuzzle her hair and showered affection upon her, every so often his tongue would come out for a quick caress.
He soon stood up. With Lillian held easily in his arms, he started to walk toward the bathroom. His long strides quickly covered half the distance. Lillian wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up to brush her lips against his.
“Thank you for existing,” Lillian whispered.
“Always. And we will get Shadowlight back.”
Chapter 26
THE FOREST’S NIGHT creatures were out, predators hunting on silent wings and stealthy paws. Her claws flexed and her fangs lengthened. Anna might have considered herself another predator if she had something to hunt.
But she was impotent without a target. She’d never felt so helpless.
She’d left HQ far behind and slipped silently into the surrounding woods with no one the wiser. For all Major Resnick knew, she had gone to get some much-needed rest. Which had been her original idea, but she couldn’t sleep, couldn’t even think about sleep while Shadowlight was still a prisoner.
She wanted to snarl at the night, at the many injustices of the world, but most especially at a cold-hearted demigoddess. Someone needed to eradicate the Battle Goddess.
That Gregory was willing to attempt a rescue was some relief. But not enough. She wanted to go with him and see Shadowlight freed. That might ease the tiniest portion of her guilt for failing the cub so terribly.
Unfortunately, Gregory’s rescue mission hinged on catching Gryton and forcing him to cooperate. Catching Gryton might take days. Trusting him to help? Well, that would be never.
Which was why Anna found herself haunting the shadowy forest. She was too restless to sleep and perhaps too dangerous to her fellow humans to remain among them. Rational she was not.
A twig snapped to her left and the sounds of footsteps that hadn’t been there a moment before reached her sensitive ears. When she focused on the direction of the sound, she could perceive a faint heartbeat and less than a minute later the familiar scent of Lillian or Daryna reached her nose. She wasn’t sure which woman approached. Their scents were identical.
However, she’d learned to differentiate them by how they carried themselves. The Sorceress moved with sup
erhuman grace; Lillian moved like your average human being.
When the woman finally walked into Anna’s line of sight, she knew this was the powerful sorceress.
“Daryna.” The one word came out almost a growl. Anna wasn’t in the mood for company tonight.
“That’s no way to greet the person who is about to help you rescue Shadowlight.” The Sorceress halted before her, looking calm and confident as always. Anna scanned the area a second time, hunting for Gregory in the deepest shadows where the moonlight didn’t penetrate the forest canopy. But there was no sign of the male demigod.
“I came alone,” Daryna said as she held out a large rucksack that looked like it had been stolen from supplies.
Anna was more interested in what the other woman had said about Shadowlight and rescue than the rucksack’s origin.
“How are you going to help me rescue Shadowlight? Did you and Gregory change your minds?”
“Come.” Daryna gestured to a recently fallen tree some twenty meters away. “What I have planned will take some explanation.”
Anna wanted to get to the meat of the matter. Circling around a subject always drove her nuts. And tonight, she was already too much on edge, but she stomped over to the tree in question and thumped her ass down upon it without uttering one damn word.
Daryna settled on the tree a good two feet away and brushed her hands along the tree’s bark. “This one was far too young to fall. She was destroyed from within by a boring insect that caused rot to set in.” Daryna paused and glanced sideways to meet Anna’s gaze.
It took some fortitude to hold her gaze, but Anna did it.
To her surprise, Daryna looked away first and then said in a soft voice. “I can’t sit by and watch the equivalent happen to Shadowlight.”
There was guilt in her tone. Did the great demigod feel responsible for what happened to Shadowlight? Well, good, she should. They’d all failed the kid.
“You’re going to go after him,” Anna stated bluntly.
“Gregory would follow if I did. Also, this body is only temporary. It wouldn’t withstand the force of magic that I’d be required to call upon to fight the Battle Goddess and rescue Shadowlight. And I can’t tell you how bad it would be for this body to expire within the Goddess’s domain where she could recapture my soul and force it to be reborn into another body of her choosing. Yet, I also fear Shadowlight might not be able to wait for Gregory.
“Then what do you have in mind?” Even as Anna said the words, an inkling came to her.
“Sometimes it is better to send one spy into enemy territory rather than an entire army.”
Anna would go in a heartbeat, but she wasn’t at all certain of her ability to get herself and Shadowlight free of the place. She would try. “Of course I’ll go. But I will need supplies.”
Daryna patted the rucksack she’d brought with her. “There is food, water, spare clothing, and blankets. You must get yourself weapons as I am unfamiliar with them. But I will create a map for you from my childhood memories. The basic structure and layout will be much the same but be aware whatever I draw will be twelve years out-of-date.”
“It will do,” Anna said, as new purpose filled her blood and enlivened her senses. “You could draw me a map in the dirt, and I still would agree to go for a chance to save Shadowlight.”
“Oh. There is a catch, I’m afraid.” Daryna reached into her pack and rummaged around until she pulled out first one medallion and then a second and held them out.
With a questioning look, Anna took the offered objects and studied them both. She wasn’t well-versed in magic, but she recognized power when she felt it. These were no mere ornaments.
“Locating Shadowlight within the Battle Goddess’s temple will not be easy. Freeing him will be harder. And getting free again—I think you know the odds won’t be in your favor.”
“I don’t care. I’ll go. I’ll do it and free Shadowlight or die trying.”
“I can send you into the Magic Realm, and if your mission is successful, these medallions will allow you and Shadowlight to return here.”
Anna turned the medallions this way and that. “How do these work?”
“They’re really rather simple. You just smear a bit of blood on them to trigger the spell. They are actually keyed to Shadowlight’s blood, but you now share some of that same blood, so the spell will recognize you as well.”
Anna glanced down at them again. “That’s it? Just bleed on them?”
“Yes. It will trigger the spell and transport you back to the Mortal Realm immediately.”
“Got it.” More weird shit, but she understood.
“I fear rescuing Shadowlight will not be easy. He will be under heavy guard.” Daryna folded her fingers together and laid them in her lap. “Those guardians will be highly trained with as many well-developed senses as you now possess.”
“Understood.”
“There is one other thing. If it looks like you are about to be captured or you somehow lose the medallions before you get to Shadowlight, you still have another escape.”
Great, more cryptic crap.
Daryna continued like she was unaware of Anna’s impatience. “All gargoyles belong to the Lord of the Underworld. In a moment of desperate need, even you will be able to find your way to his temple.”
“Not that I want to find myself there, but I’m a firm believer in having all scenarios thoroughly planned out. Is there a map to his realm?”
“The gateway is one found in your mind. Reach out to Lord Death and he will answer.”
“Hmmm. Yep. Okay.” Totally get in and get out without being discovered. Run like hell and then use the medallions.
Daryna’s expression took on that distant look again. “There isn’t much time. If we are going to do this, it needs to be now while Gregory is distracted attending to Lillian.”
“I’ll need some things first,” Anna said, already building a supplies list in her mind.
“Take these.”
Anna held out her hand and looked at what appeared to be flat discs of softened candle wax.
“Rub your fingers in this and then find a bit of exposed skin on your target and they will be unconscious before they hit the ground.
Anna glanced up at Daryna skeptically. “It won’t affect me?”
“No. It will only affect those who don’t share your genetic heritage.”
“Hmmm. DNA targeted magic.”
Daryna stood and walked forward until she was directly in front of Anna. “I have one other gift for you.”
Anna was all ears but was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“I can make you stronger and faster than you are now. Far more lethal should you find yourself in a battle with magic-wielding opponents. But I can only do this by accelerating your gargoyle metamorphosis.”
A spike of adrenaline coursed through her blood and sent her heart pounding. Sure, she’d do anything to save the kid, but become the full package? She’d never get to live a normal life again. Oh, she knew it wasn’t likely as it was, but full gargoyle? Any hope of a normal life would be gone.
If she didn’t, her chances of rescuing Shadowlight were less. And she knew she would need every advantage once behind enemy lines.
She fisted her hands but met Daryna’s gaze. “Fine. Do what you have to.”
“Good. The process will still take some time before you complete your transformation; a few months, instead of a few years. However, within hours you’ll have increased stamina and heightened senses and resistance to magic, among other advantages.”
Anna nodded at the other woman’s words. “So, I’ll be a gargoyle sooner or later. Might as well be sooner, then.”
With a nod, Daryna rested her hands on Anna's shoulders. A power that managed to be both hot and cold at the same time raced over her body, and if she’d been standing, she would have been dropped to her knees.
Nice gift, Anna thought as darkness flitted at the edges of her vision.
After what felt like half an eternity, Daryna lifted her hands away. Anna slumped sideways but managed to keep herself on the tree trunk. Her sight slowly returned and so too did her strength. All-in-all, she’d didn’t feel as bad as she thought.
“Go,” Daryna said. “I’ve done what I can to strengthen you for this task. Gather what weapons you think you will need and meet me back here in an hour. The transportation portal spell will be ready.”
Anna nodded and then forced herself up off the tree trunk. Her first few steps were ungainly, but after a dozen, her body remembered how to run. Twenty steps after that, a new strength awoke within her body.
Chapter 27
BACK AT HQ, ANNA DARTED through the temporary military base, her passage unseen. Shadow magic flickered around her form. Thanks to Gregory’s training lessons, she’d mastered the concealment spell enough to fool the humans and Fae she passed. And thanks to Daryna’s help, Anna was now stronger in both body and magic.
She’d covered the ground between here and where the Sorceress waited in under eight minutes, an unheard-of record time for her.
Although her new magic wasn’t quite so advanced in comparison. During an earlier near-miss with a dire wolf out hunting in the forest had proved that her mastery of shadow magic wasn’t yet good enough to hide her scent.
That wasn’t a concern with humans. But some members of the Fae, like a dire wolf, unicorn, or pooka possessed a more advanced sense of smell. So, she went to some trouble to avoid those particular species.
It made her task harder but was also a good test considering her ultimate goal was to invade the domain of the Battle Goddess.
Getting over the fence and into headquarters was easy. Getting into the buildings—not so much. She had to wait for personnel to enter the building she wanted. This time her target was a repurposed high school. It was summer, and the military had taken over this building since it was located in close proximity to the community center.
The Complete Gargoyle and Sorceress Boxset (Books 1-9) Page 93