The Complete Gargoyle and Sorceress Boxset (Books 1-9)

by Lisa Blackwood

  “Anna, it’s nice to see you’ve talked some sense into the cub. Vaspara tells me he hasn’t been the most cooperative of prisoners.”

  “No worries, Tin Man. I just told him to save his strength until he can inflict maximum damage.”

  “I see,” Gryton said with a hint of humor coloring his tone. “But no matter, I have something here that will ensure Shadowlight’s good behavior.”

  Anna had been expecting this since Vaspara and Gryton’s conversation a few hours ago. And she also knew about the collar that had been used to enslave Shadowlight’s father as well as the one used to bind Gregory’s power for a short time.

  Yeah. She’d been expecting collars. Didn’t mean she wouldn’t have preferred to avoid the unpleasant complication, though.

  “Don’t fight them, Shadowlight. There are too many,” Anna said aloud and then added using their mental link, “Alive, we still have a chance at freedom. Dead, we don’t. Remember that, kid.”

  “I’ll remember,” he whispered back along the link without any betraying expression on his face.

  Commander Gryton’s gaze slid sideways to meet hers. He grinned. “See, we're already starting to get along.”

  “I’m compliant. Don’t get that confused with willing.”

  “Another truth,” Gryton said with that infuriating tone in his voice.

  His tone was already getting old. Anna glowered at Tin Man.

  “Shadowlight first,” Gryton said as he held up the collar.

  The gargoyle snarled in warning.

  “Oh. Perhaps I’ll get you to do this instead.” Gryton was now holding the collar out toward Anna.

  “Fuck you.”

  “I might let you some other time; however, I need the gargoyle collared before I take you both before the Lady of Battles.”

  “I’m not putting a collar around a child’s neck.”

  “Your stubbornness won’t aid you here.” Gryton’s lips thinned. “Guards, subdue the cub by any means necessary.”

  When the guards moved to act, something uncontrollable and foreign rose up within her. She knocked the spear’s tip away from her throat and lunged at Gryton before the guards could react.

  His face was the only part visible. She took advantage of that and raked his face with her talon-tipped fingers. She’d been going for his eyes, but he’d jerked his head to the side enough to save his vision. Her talons left score marks on the side of his ornate helmet.

  It wasn’t enough to sate the rage uncoiling in her chest and she struck again, landing a blow to his armor-clad midsection. The impact raced up her arm and the punch likely hurt her more than it did him, but his hiss of anger was still rewarding.

  Guards rushed Anna and she snarled and fought, but a blow from an unseen assailant knocked her clear off her feet and into the wall behind her. Stunned, she slid to the floor, but the rage was driving her back to her feet to meet the attackers closing in again.

  A louder snarl half deafened her. Moments later her own attackers were knocked aside, and Shadowlight was blocking her view of the rest of the cell. The kid was unharmed, and reason slowly asserted itself upon the rage and drove it back, deeper inside. Anna gave herself a shake and looked around, somewhat startled to see the guards, as well as Commander Gryton and Captain Vaspara, had drawn back.

  Jeez, Anna thought as she pressed her hand to her throbbing temple. What the fuck was that?

  “Stand down, Shadowlight. We can’t win this fight.”

  Shadowlight’s expression when he looked over his shoulder was doubtful, but he didn’t fight and allowed himself to be forced back against the wall.

  Anna brushed straw from her uniform but didn’t make any more hostile moves.

  I’m a terrible role model, she admitted to herself.

  “I won’t fight the collar,” Shadowlight announced. “Just don’t hurt Anna again.”

  Damn it all to hell. The kid was trying to protect her. But Anna only stood with her hands fisted and watched while Gryton affixed the collar to Shadowlight’s neck. Fighting would have only gotten them both killed or maimed.

  Gryton’s hands fell away from the collar. Then he stood back, seeming to admire his work. Anna decided that he would wear a collar one day before she killed him so he would get a taste of what his victims felt.

  “Well done, youngling,” Gryton said with an affectionate pat to Shadowlight’s shoulder.

  The kid growled in answer, but Gryton ignored him and turned his attention to Anna. He motioned her forward and that’s when she noticed he held a bracelet, not a collar.

  What the hell? Typically, the prisoner wore the collar and one of the hostiles wore the command bracelet.

  “What? I don’t get a collar?”

  “No,” Gryton said simply. “You aren’t as dangerous as a full-blooded gargoyle, and you won’t leave Shadowlight behind, so as long as he remains with us, you’re not leaving us either. And this way, if you shift to gargoyle unexpectedly, we don’t risk having a collar decapitate you. The bracelet is designed to be more malleable than a collar and will expand with you as you shift for the first time.”

  The bracelet snapped around her wrist.

  “This will force the gargoyle to behave. If he acts out or displeases us,” Gryton gave another of his chilling smiles, “you will be the one to take his punishment. The collar’s main purpose is to prevent him from flying away the first chance he gets. However, it allows me to issue him commands, and I promise, if you act out, it will be the youngling who suffers.”

  “Only a short-dicked fuck, too insecure in his own manhood would think up that bullshit and inflict it on an innocent kid.”

  Gryton stepped forward until they were toe to toe. His gaze broke away from her to drift down her body, stopping at the usual places a pig frequently paused to admire. When he reached her feet, he reversed course and eventually made it back to her eyes.

  “I assure you, I’m most confident in my manhood, but if you require a demonstration...”

  Anna grunted. “I thought I might die of old age before you finally finished your ogling.”

  Shadowlight growled and Gryton merely laughed. “Don’t interrupt your elders, child. We are having a conversation.”

  “Were,” Anna said.

  “Were?” Gryton’s one eyebrow arched up in question.

  “It’s done now. The next thing on your agenda was presenting us to your evil overlord, I believe.”

  Gryton burst out laughing. “Yes, human mutt, I was going to take you before our goddess. I would suggest you keep your tongue firmly behind your teeth or else the Lady of Battles will remove it. She is entirely without a sense of humor.”

  “Seems to be a rare commodity around here,” Anna said as she glanced around the cell, faking indifference.

  “Yes. It gets beaten out of the sensible ones.” Gryton turned to the guards, and they moved aside to allow him to pass. He paused long enough to glance back at Shadowlight. “Come.”

  Shadowlight stumbled forward with a snarl, and Anna realized he was forced to follow.

  She wove her way through the guards until she was striding shoulder to shoulder with Shadowlight.

  Together they walked forward to face a demigoddess.

  Chapter 8

  THEY WERE LED FROM the dark realm of the dungeons to the upper stories of some temple complex, complete with worshiping priests and priestesses. Servants scurried out of the way of Gryton and his soldiers as they passed. Captain Vaspara had a strong hold on Anna’s arm while the Commander kept Shadowlight on a short, invisible leash.

  Anna didn’t fight them or give them other reasons to rough up her or the kid. Besides, if she and the kid wanted to survive, they’d need to abandon their tight hold on their morals and blend in until a chance to escape presented itself.

  After being led through several twisting, narrow corridors, they eventually came to a vast chamber. Pillars marched down either side and disappeared into the darkness high above her head. Somewhere up
there a ceiling must exist, but the light of the torches faded long before it could dispel the gloom.

  Two wide staircases at either end of the room swept down in a graceful flare until they ended at the black, glass-like floor.

  “Creepy,” Anna muttered. Captain Vaspara squeezed her arm in warning.

  Well, it was. The whole damn fortress was some goth’s wet dream.

  Shadowlight glanced behind him just before they reached the first flight of stairs.

  “Chin up, kid,” Anna whispered along their mental link. “We’ll get through this. We’re a team, right?”

  “Yes,” he agreed, his ears perking up a little.

  Gryton started down the stairs and Shadowlight was forced to follow. Vaspara and Anna followed close on their heels. The staircase had three landings. Two guards stood at attention on each of the landings. When Gryton’s little convoy passed, the soldiers brought their fists up to their armor-covered chests in a show of respect.

  When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Anna’s eyes were drawn to the floor’s mirror-like surface. Their reflections reminded her of bodies below the ice.

  Creepy. Creepy as fuck. Check.

  Vaspara took a firmer hold on Anna’s arm and frog-marched her across the polished floor in pursuit of Gryton and Shadowlight. They only went part-way up the opposite set of stairs, halting at the second landing.

  “Kneel,” Gryton barked the order to Shadowlight. He resisted at first, his muzzle curling back from his fangs and his tail twitching, but in the end, he knelt.

  “Kneel,” Captain Vaspara growled in Anna’s ear. “Kneel, or I break your knees.”

  Since she put it that way...

  Anna took a step forward and knelt next to Shadowlight. Her knees had barely touched the cold stone when the tip of his tail curled around her waist. Just one coil and he seemed unaware that he was betraying his fear and insecurities to his enemies, but Anna didn’t hold it against the kid.

  The Battle Goddess’s fortress was no place for a child, or anyone else with a moral compass, Anna amended.

  A distant rattle of chains reached Anna, and she glanced sideways at Shadowlight. His deer-like ears were already swiveled in the direction the sound came. The noise of metal dragging on stone grew louder. Anna’s eyes sought to see past the darkness shrouding the huge archway at the top of the stairs, but the distance was too far and the meager light of a few torches insufficient to penetrate far beyond the threshold.

  With nothing else to do, she watched and waited. She was sure she’d be forgiven the small sound of surprise that escaped her when the darkness parted and a Titan wearing a long burgundy skirt and a black metal breastplate walked underneath the archway. The giantess stopped on the landing and stood gazing down at them.

  Golden chains that glowed softly with power dragged at her wrists and ankles. The gargantuan woman seemed unconcerned about the chains or how they disappeared into the darkness behind her. Anna might not be up on her fantasyland mythology, but she knew enough to know the Avatars had forged those chains to hold this demigoddess trapped within her temple. But having something described and seeing it for the first time was something else altogether.

  In looking upon it, Anna couldn’t help but think it wasn’t enough. This demigoddess needed to be neutralized once and for all. Unfortunately, unless Anna wanted to get neutralized herself, she’d have to appear to be cooperative.

  Shadowlight’s tail tightened around her waist. She patted it but wasn’t sure if she was reassuring him or herself.

  The demigoddess hiked up her long skirt and crouched down on the top landing.

  “Come, my beautiful ones.” The Battle Goddess called to them in a booming voice and gestured them closer.

  Eh? Beautiful ones? No one had mentioned the demigoddess was unbalanced.

  Shadowlight’s tail tightened further. Suddenly she was lifted off the ground and was stumbling to find her footing as the kid dragged her up the stairs with him. She recovered her balance in a couple more steps and was following willingly, but if anything, Shadowlight’s grip just grew tighter. She didn’t blame the kid.

  Seeing this Titan up close was a ‘howl in terror’ kind of event.

  The kid stopped a dozen steps from the top of the landing. Anna halted next to the youngster and looked up at the creature that was determined to rule both magic and mortal realms.

  Long skirt, bare feet, delicate features, pale creamy complexion, long glossy hair — she wasn’t what Anna’s imagination would have conjured up for a being known as the Battle Goddess.

  Well, she supposed her actual title was the Lady of Battles. The demigoddess did hold herself in a graceful, ladylike manner and there was no rule that said evil couldn’t be housed in an elegant vessel, as it indeed was in this case.

  “I am both surprised and pleased how far along your powers have advanced, young one,” she said, addressing Shadowlight. “By what name should I call you?”

  He narrowed his eyes and then winced in pain as he fought the compulsion.

  Anna came to her feet and squared off against the demigoddess. “His mother named him Shadowlight.”

  The goddess turned her dark-eyed gaze upon Anna. “A suitable name for a child, I suppose. I shall think upon an adult name for him, something that will suit the fierce warrior he will become under my training.”

  “I won’t help you!” Shadowlight snarled and lunged forward only to crash into the stairs as his body wouldn’t obey his mind’s commands.

  Anna’s talons lengthened. She crouched next to the young gargoyle while glaring up at the Battle Goddess, but her thoughts were directed at him. “Don’t fight unless you can win. Save your strength for later. Now is not the time to fight!”

  The Lady of Battles leaned down to study them more closely. “The young one will learn in time that fighting is pointless. Bravery is nearly as useless here. You cannot fight me and win. Human are you as foolishly brave as the gargoyle?”

  Anna craned her neck to look up at the demigoddess. “Bravery has its place. For example, I would give my life to save this child — though I would say it has more to do with friendship and loyalty than bravery. But if you make no move to harm the child, then I will obey your orders while I am here in this realm.”

  “Ah. Delightful. You speak the truth. And I shall honor you with the same. I promise no harm will come to the child by my hand as long as you both serve me.”

  Anna nodded but needed to make something clear. A showing of strength might be the only thing this demigoddess respected. “I’ll do as I’m instructed. Serve you and your kingdom as required. However, if one of your people does something to him I cannot tolerate, I will do what I must to safeguard him. I might not yet know how to kill with magic, but I will learn and end any who mean Shadowlight harm.”

  “Excellent,” the Battle Goddess said, sounding far too pleased with Anna’s response. “It is well that you and he will protect each other. When you are both older, and your gargoyle natures are mature, you will rely on each other for survival.”

  Anna didn’t respond but kept her head bowed.

  “Tomorrow we shall begin your training,” the Battle Goddess continued in a pleased tone. “Tonight, you shall eat and rest. If you behave yourselves, you will be given better quarters.”

  Anna would’ve settled for a sleeping bag.

  “Your training won’t be so very different than what you’ve been working toward for much of your young life. Gryton told me you are from a warrior bloodline. Your brothers, father, and great-grandfather are all warriors and you have inherited that spirit.” The Battle Goddess shrugged. “Here you will be leading my armies instead of taking orders from lesser men playing at war. When you and the gargoyle are ready, you will lead my armies. Together, we will rule all three realms.”

  Yeah. That was an evil overlord speech if ever she’d heard one. If Anna hadn’t figured out how to escape in a few days’ time, she and the kid were likely to become a permanent part of
the Battle Goddess’s army.

  The Lady of Battles reached out and ruffled Shadowlight’s mane almost affectionately. Anna locked her jaw, so she didn’t say anything to piss off the demigoddess. Eventually, the gargantuan deity straightened and stepped back.

  “If you both perform well in training with your mentors, you will be given your own slaves and servants as a reward.” The Battle Goddess looked beyond them to where Gryton stood. “Tomorrow their training will begin. Make sure they are well fed tonight and that they get a proper rest.”

  “Yes, my Lady,” Gryton said.

  “And make sure to spread the word that none of the troops are to play with them.” The Battle Goddess laughed, the sound chilling. “Any who disobey will be executed, by my hand.”

  “Of course, my Goddess.”

  “And Gryton, make sure they are bathed before they are brought to me again.”

  “As you command, so shall it be,” Gryton said without skipping a beat.

  “Go now but have them returned here just after sunset and I will begin their journey of transformation.”

  Journey of transformation? Yeah, that sounded ominous whichever way you spun it. Anna was more than happy when Gryton started back down the stairs and ordered Shadowlight to follow.

  Chapter 9

  WHILE COMMANDER GRYTON issued orders to servants to see that the Battle Goddess’s wishes were carried out regarding food and baths for the prisoners, Anna was still mildly astonished to be led to a different part of the fortress. She’d honestly thought they’d end up back in the dungeons until she and the kid had proven themselves. But that wasn’t the case.

  This part of the city fortress was lavishly furnished with carpets and wall hangings. Polished black statues and gleaming suits of armor also decorated the stone passageways. After walking for twenty minutes, the present tunnel they traveled ended in a strange cul-de-sac with four doors spaced along the walls. There were guards here as well, but Anna’s attention was focused on the first bit of natural light she’d seen in over a day. It seeped in from a dome several stories above her head.