“So shadow magic is fine as long as no one sees.”
“Exactly,” he said, returning to speaking aloud.
“You said there were five initial tasks. What’s the fifth one?”
“Archery. But it’s incorporated into the ground obstacle test. There will be a bow and arrows at one of the obstacles, and you’ll need to hit the target before continuing.
Anna rolled her shoulders. She’d gone bow hunting with her father and brothers as a teen. Later, during her time in the Battle Goddess’s domain, Vaspara and Sorac had resurrected that skill and put several layers of polish on it.
“Only the quarterstaff is likely to give me trouble.”
Obsidian snorted. “None of it will be easy by normal standards, but you’ll still make me proud.”
“No pressure.”
“Come. It’s time.”
Chapter 27
ANNA AND REAVER STARED at each other balefully as they waited for the signal to start the ground course. As Obsidian had predicted, she’d won the sword fight, but Reaver was victorious with the quarterstaff. Though she’d made the bastard work for the win.
For this task, Obsidian was forced to wait at the starting line, but each of the course’s obstacles would have a mentor or older student stationed there to judge her skill at each task.
She was presently waiting for all the observers to get into position.
At last, the call of a horn rang out, and the two gargoyles standing with crossed spears at the starting line lifted them up and away.
Wasting no time, Anna darted through the opening. She’d only been given a short head start. Just enough to make it to where the map she’d studied said the course branched into five different directions. She could take any one and complete the obstacles in any order. She just had to stay ahead of Reaver.
If she completed the tasks and made it out of the ground course first, she was the winner. If not, then he’d win. And she’d already lost to him as much she planned to today.
Anna darted down the far-left pathway. After a short sprint, she came to a rope bridge over a mud pit. Slowing, she studied it for traps but found none and swiftly made her way across and hauled ass to where the map had shown the next obstacle waited. This one turned out to be a climbing obstacle. The wall must be close to twenty-five feet tall. Ropes hung down the sides, suggesting even a gargoyle was supposed to climb not fly.
She scanned the area and swiftly homed in on the observer. It was Sumdara. She nodded to the elder.
Scanning the area with her magic and not sensing a trap, Anna ran at the obstacle, launched herself a few feet into the air and then grabbed the rope and began to climb. The wall took a little longer than the other two, but she was soon up and over and lowering herself down the other side.
She was just rising from the ground when she heard someone approaching at a run from behind. It could only be one person.
Diving off the path, she called shadow magic to hide. She’d acted just in time. The gargoyle burst onto the track twenty feet behind and sprinted toward the wall. He was running on all fours. His leap landed him three-quarters of the way up the wall. He swiftly climbed the rest, and his tail vanished over the top a moment later.
Show off.
She waited for another minute to be sure he was out of earshot before she continued to run. Two legs were a bitch’n disadvantage compared to four, but she wasn’t about to lose to the arrogant prick again. Ten feet ahead, the pathway branched again. Not wanting to accidentally catch up to him, she took the opposite fork as him.
Reaching deep, she called her gargoyle nature, needing the speed and agility, but stopped short of shifting.
With her magic strengthening her, she darted down the path to the next obstacle. A rockfall. She leaped over rock to rock and only acknowledged Master Banrook with a barked ‘Greetings Elder’ as she passed him. His peal of laughter followed her.
She completed five more obstacles. Some required going through water or swinging over it. Well, others involved climbing through narrow tunnels—which would have been far more difficult in gargoyle form. She even had to belly crawl through mud which sent a spike of homesickness through her. If she ever made it back to Earth, her debriefing was going to take days.
But then she came to the next obstacle—a narrow timber spanning a ten-foot ditch and she turned her attention back to this newest rendition of military training.
At each of the more difficult obstacles, there was either a dryad or gargoyle present to watch her attempt and judge her performance. Only a handful were people she’d met, but many of them were likely adepts or masters to judge by the power she felt radiating off them. Though there were a few younger students mixed in. She briefly wondered if they had been assigned their positions as some kind of reward.
A couple were likely even novices since their eyes widened at the ease with which she completed some of the tasks.
“Your display is winning over more than a few of my brothers and sisters,” Obsidian whispered into her mind.
She’d sensed him watching along their link more than once, but this was the first time he spoke.
“I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to be in my head while I do this test.”
“I’m not giving you pointers.” He sounded offended.
She grinned to herself, then added, “Get out of my head. I don’t need the distraction. There’s no way I’m letting Reaver win again.”
“Better get a move on then,” came his laughing reply.
Yeah, someone was having way too much fun watching her compete against Reaver. When Anna reached the next obstacle, she immediately noticed something wrong.
Three archery targets were set up at the end of a long tree-lined lane. Ten feet in front of her, a longbow rested against a post. Three feet in front of that a glowing line of power had been burned into the ground, clearly the designated position to shoot from.
There was only one problem: no arrows.
She scanned the area twice more with no luck.
“He took them with him after he completed the task.” A gargoyle stood in the trees, just off to the side of the post. A little growl had accompanied his words, but his anger hadn’t been focused on her. “That male has no honor.”
“Could’ve told you that within two minutes of meeting him.”
The powerfully built gargoyle laughed at that. He wasn’t as big and bulky as Obsidian, Reaver or Banrook, but he should have been a match for Reaver. “You could have stopped him if you wanted.”
“Actually, he can’t.” Obsidian’s voice was burrowing deeper into her mind along with his emotions. Their link flared wider and she got a peek at his thoughts. He very much wanted to get his hands around Reaver’s neck again.
He wasn’t the only one.
“As observers, we are only allowed to watch and record how each participant does. We’re not allowed to interfere in the test, not even to stop one such as Reaver from cheating. I would gladly have fought him myself if it was permitted.”
“What’s your rank and name?”
“Journeyman Frostburn.”
Frostburn. Already she wanted to call him Frostbite. She was going to mess his name up more than a few times.
“Thank you, Frostburn, for the gift of your name and your honesty.”
After all, the observers weren’t required to talk either.
“Anna Mackenzie, Reaver thinks to make you confront him at one of the other archery obstacles. You don’t have to if you know how to make arrows. He left the bow behind.”
She stared at him in silence.
He gestured wide. “The forest can provide the raw material you need.”
While that might be true and if she needed to hunt up some dinner, she might try her hand at making arrows, but she wasn’t stopping long enough to make some field arrows and give Reaver this win.
“Obsidian?”
“Now you want to talk?”
“You following what’s afoot?”
>
“Yes. Thayn said I can do what I want if Reaver messes with you again.”
“Not what the elder had in mind.”
“He’s still mine to challenge.”
“Won’t be needed after I beat his ass in this test. Can Journeyman Frostburn be trusted with a little show of shadow magic?”
“Yes, he’s honorable, and once an elder speaks with him, he’ll keep his lips sealed. What are you planning?”
“This.” Anna walked to the post and picked up the bow. Then she walked until her toes were almost brushing the glowing line of power burned into the ground.
While Frostburn looked on in confusion that turned to astonishment as she drew the bow, she summoned shadow magic and formed it into three perfectly elegant arrows. Then in one smooth motion, she nocked the arrows and let them fly.
Each flew true and buried itself in its intended target. While the gleaming ebony staffs continued to vibrate softly, she propped the bow against the post.
She then turned back to Frostburn and smiled at his stunned expression. “Don’t share what you saw here today. A mentor is sure to come to speak with you.”
Frostburn surprised her by dropping into a deep bow.
“As the Kyrsu commands.” His voice softened a bit. “Well played, Anna Mackenzie. May you win fairly.”
“I plan to.” Anna nodded goodbye to the gargoyle and darted off. The archery target was the last required obstacle.
“You did very well,” Obsidian sent over the link. “Reaver is farther from the end than you. If you hurry, you’ll be able to reach the finish first.”
“Good, I can’t wait to see his face when he exits to see me already outside.”
“Now who’s enjoying this?”
“Never said I wasn’t,” she countered.
“Hurry back to me. We can watch his expression together.”
Anna nodded even though he wouldn’t see it, and then sprinted back to the beginning of the course.
As promised, Obsidian was already there with no Reaver in sight.
Beside him, Thayn stood with a horn clasped in his hands. He blew on it then, alerting everyone still in the depths of the field course that there was a winner.
A few minutes later, gargoyles started to emerge. Eventually, Reaver arrived. He spotted her and growled.
“How did you manage to complete all the obstacles?”
“Very carefully. I even had to stop and make three arrows for the final one.”
His nostrils flared. “You completed all the tasks?”
“Yes.”
He jerked like she’d slapped him. “That’s not possible. I’m far from the slowest gargoyle, and there is no way a human could complete that course faster than a gargoyle.”
“I’m just fast by any standard.”
His expression was comical. His face was scowling, but his ears were in a forward questioning pose. Poor boy was trying to solve a puzzle when he didn’t have all the pieces.
“You cheated. Not knowingly. I’d sense that, but you must have unknowingly missed some of the obstacles. Once all the observers are here, I will question them and see which one you missed.”
“Go ahead. It won’t change the outcome.” Anna shrugged and then turned to Obsidian. “Let’s go find some training knives for the next test. I might as well get some practice in while Reaver satisfies his suspicions.”
Grunting agreement, Obsidian swung an arm around her shoulder and guided her past a fuming Reaver.
Once they were away from the others, she relaxed. Only then discovering how nervous she’d been. It wasn’t the training; it was keeping her true nature a secret.
“What I am is going to come out, and that will make it look like we both were trying to hide what the Battle Goddess did to me. Reaver is suspicious, but he isn’t actually stupid. Just a jackass.”
Obsidian shrugged. “You’re worrying too much over something that simply is. Yes, your nature will be revealed one day. Perhaps before the elders intended that to happen. But the residents of Haven already know we were changed by our time in the Battle Goddess’s kingdom.”
“Yeah but...”
“They will adjust. No doubt some will initially respond like Reaver, but they will come around once they realize what the Battle Goddess did to you did not reach your heart, mind, or soul.”
Their talk had carried them to one of the training rings, and a sand-covered field greeted her sight.
“Fine, but better let me get some practice in before Reaver gets here. His mood isn’t going to improve once he questions the observers and realizes I did complete all the required tasks.”
Chapter 28
AFTER SELECTING FROM a bunch of weapons already laid out, Anna tested the eight small throwing knives and the two long daggers. They were well-made, their balance good in her hand.
Obsidian snorted. “These are training quality, nothing more. Once you are assigned mentors, they’ll commission a set of weapons and armor made for you. Ones superior to these.”
“These will do for now.”
By the time Reaver appeared, Anna was landing knives consistently in the targets.
She went to retrieve her blades. When she returned, Banrook was already standing and glowering at Reaver and Obsidian.
“There will be no more questioning Anna’s loyalties. She is Kyrsu to Obsidian and chosen by Lord Draydrak to be co-leader for the legion. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with Lord Death.”
Reaver bowed his head and muttered an apology, but when Anna joined them, he glowered at her instead.
There was still bad blood there for sure.
Obsidian was suddenly there in her mind, his anger rising again.
“Hey. I’ve got this.” Though, she was really getting tired of Reaver’s lousy attitude. It was time to put him in his place.
“And I’ll put new holes in his hide if he tries anything other than what he’s supposed to do.”
“You know how to give a girl the warm fuzzies.”
Obsidian growled. “Go kick his ass, he deserves it even more after what he did at the archery obstacle.”
REAVER GREW IMPATIENT at what he perceived as a fearful hesitation and came at her. Anna held still until the last moment, then she sidestepped faster than he could react. Dipping low to avoid his wing, she allowed his momentum to carry him past her, then she flicked her wrist, her dagger opening a red line on his thigh.
“First blood,” she called while he swung around to face her.
He’d braced one hand to his wound, but paid it no notice, studying her instead. His look was one of speculation, not the arrogance or anger she’d expected. After a moment, he released his hold on his leg and drew a second dagger.
Then he was upon her again, calmer this time. Determined.
She danced with him, studying him in turn, waiting for an opening. When she saw it, she darted in close to land a strike, but he blocked her.
“Humans of the Mortal Realm would not have a chance against a legion-trained gargoyle. You, Anna Mackenzie, are not human. You smell of gargoyle and unwholesome magic.”
Anna swore in her head. Of course, close combat had forced him inside the shield she’d been using to filter out her betraying gargoyle scent.
“Enough,” Obsidian bellowed to be heard over the crowd. “The match was to first blood. Anna landed the first blow. The bout is finished. Reaver, concede!”
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Master Banrook rise from the bench where he was sitting. “Enough. As pretty as her style is to witness, Obsidian is correct. We’ve seen enough to gauge her ability. Thank you for your assistance Reaver. You are no longer needed.”
Her opponent hissed his displeasure, but obliged, bowing to the master.
Then he straightened and turned to leave without a backward glance at her.
Well, that was a more pleasant end than she’d expected. When Anna turned to bow for Master Banrook and the other mentors, her gargoyle nature warne
d of danger.
Instinctively, she summoned shadow magic. It raced to answer her call, forming a shield in the air mere seconds before Reaver spun, plucking a throwing knife from each wrist brace and sent them flying toward her.
More shadow magic darted up from the ground. Reaver’s throwing knives struck the barrier and then bounced off to land in the sand. Her gargoyle nature missed nothing, not the subtle shift of his muscles, not the slight cloud of dust raised by their fight and not the menacing growl from Obsidian.
“See?” Reaver roared. “She is no human. She even smells like some bastardized crossbreed between a gargoyle and a human.”
From somewhere behind her, Obsidian snarled again. Using the link, she determined Obsidian was being held back—barely—by Banrook, Verroc, and Thayn.
With her partner safely out of the way, Anna addressed Reaver. “You must like getting the shit kicked out of you. Eventually, my Rasoren will escape. When he does, I’m going to be very, very tempted to just sit back and watch him shred your magic. When he’s done, even the healers won’t be able to fix you.”
The gathering had fallen eerily silent.
After thirty seconds, the silence was broken by snorting laughter.
Anna glanced swiftly to where the three masters were holding Obsidian.
Thayn had released his hold and was watching Anna with amusement.
“Dray was correct. You’re a fierce one. A little bloodthirsty, but I like what I see so far.” The eldest of the gargoyles marched up to her but turned his gaze upon Reaver, his humor vanishing. “You, on the other hand, are a very misguided cub. And if you persist, I will make you my own personal apprentice. You will not enjoy the experience.”
The big male’s entire body flinched, and his wings gave an involuntary shudder. The eldest of the gargoyles must be one scary dude to garner such a response. She made a note not to get on his shit list.
The Complete Gargoyle and Sorceress Boxset (Books 1-9) Page 136