After the initial chaos, things calmed. But another problem soon arose.
“I’m not getting into that sword spinning, monstrous metal death trap,” Gryton hissed.
Erika was sure her mouth had just dropped open, but she eyed the still spinning blades of the helicopter in a new light and nearly laughed out loud. “I assure you it is safe to ride in.”
“I do not care. I. Am. Not. Getting. In. That. Thing.”
“Huh. I really didn’t peg you for a coward.”
“It’s not cowardice; it’s survival instincts. Beings, both divine and otherwise, have been trying to kill me since the moment of my birth.” He pointed one long, elegant finger at the helicopter. “That is a death device if ever I have seen one.”
“It’s not—”
“No.”
Gregory stomped over to them and glowered at his son. “You can get in under your own power, or I can shove you in after the Null has drained you. Your choice.”
Gryton still looked ready to rebel, but he just nodded a surly ‘fine’ and then followed Major Resnick onto the helicopter. Erika hastened after him to ensure the fire elemental’s good behavior.
Erika had been distracted by Gryton’s little drama and had missed some of the dryad scout’s news. But to go by the few snippets she’d caught, the emergency had something to do with a djinn. Erika only knew djinn or genies from fairytales and myth. But to go by the concern she’d seen in the female Avatars gaze, Erika knew a djinn was likely more the stuff of nightmares than fairytales.
After Oath and Larkwood climbed in, there was another bit of discussion, but Thayn and Gregory flat out refused to get into the helicopter. None of the other magic users got in, preferring to fly under the cover of shadow magic.
Erika harnessed Gryton in.
“I don’t know if I hate you or my sire more,” Gryton muttered at last.
He said nothing else, and to her surprise and mild relief—she really was tired of having to drain him every time he overreacted—he didn’t bother to fight her either.
They made it back to base without incident.
Though as soon as they touched down, a minor revolt broke out as Oath and Larkwood bolted from the helicopter, knocking their guards aside like the humans were insects. The gargoyle stumbled forward a few steps before doubling over and puking up his last meal. The dryad joined him a moment later.
Gryton stepped off the helicopter and then just stood, looking upon everyone else disdainfully.
When Erika and the rest of the unit circled him, he looked directly at her. "See? I told you that was a death machine. Nothing capable of bringing a gargoyle to his knees is a benevolent force.”
Erika pursed her lips. Huh. Maybe he was correct? She’d never been fond of riding in the things.
“Move out,” Major Resnick barked. The others fell in line, and they were soon through two checkpoints and then safely inside. Though they didn’t go to the area with the cells. Gryton, Oath, and Larkwood were all escorted into one of the meeting rooms.
Erika followed behind and was more than a little surprised to see the Avatars and the other gargoyles had already arrived.
How freaking fast can a gargoyle fly?
But, for now, she had other concerns. Her superiors shuffled her and Gryton off to one corner of the large meeting room while the others took their seats. Several of the top brass filed in next, trailed by two of the senior scientists.
Erika and Gryton weren’t included in the debriefing, but it soon became apparent why she was here instead of escorting a particular demigod back to his cage. Her superiors didn’t trust the gargoyles, new or old. They wanted her here in case there was an issue.
While they didn’t trust magic, they’d been quick to utilize Erika’s unique ability to neutralize it. If she wasn’t so greatly needed, she might have found herself in a cage next to Gryton. That was always an unhappy thought. But if things kept on rolling out as they had been, she probably didn’t have to worry about seeing the inside of a cage soon.
From her position by the back wall, she was still close enough to hear the conversation. Understanding it was another matter altogether. As Erika had already discovered upon their first meeting, the dryad didn’t speak any of the human languages. Thayn acted as a translator, which meant the humans were in the dark until the gargoyle explained the dryad’s words.
As it was, the dryad could have said one thing and Thayn could censor it in any way he wanted.
At least Erika could understand what the other woman was saying because of the soul-link with Gryton.
“It is a handy bit of luck, isn’t it?” Gryton said, his tone suggesting something of interest about the otherwise bland comment. “They could say anything, and your human military wouldn’t have a clue. Were I one of your superiors, I’d make learning the other languages my priority.”
“I don’t suppose there’s some trick I can learn to keep you out of my mind, is there?”
Gryton tilted his head, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Not in our case. But even if I knew of a way, I would not tell you, not after how you’ve made me suffer.”
“How have you suffered? Well, besides me having to drain your ass every time you get uppity.”
“I’m forced to listen to your endless babble. And even the privacy of my mind isn’t a refuge. You’re always there, scrounging around for morsels to keep you from becoming bored. You are a leech in every sense of the word.”
“And you’re an asshole by every definition of the word,” she hissed at him. “I told you I couldn’t help reading your thoughts. They’re just there. Trust me, if I could stop doing it, I’d probably sleep better at night.”
He grunted but continued to stare toward the table where the dryad was explaining something.
When he spoke, at last, it came as a surprise. “Perhaps in time, we will both be able to erect some kind of shield so the other can know peace.”
“Here’s to hoping.”
He huffed, that annoying little smirk of his back in place. “In the meantime, you might as well listen in on my thoughts.”
Erika tried to stare a hole in the side of his head as if that would allow her to understand why he was suddenly inviting her into his mind for a look around.
With a shrug, she did just what he suggested, and once again, she experienced the world through his senses. To her surprise, Thayn was relaying precisely what the dryad said.
“Thayn gets points for being honest,” Erika muttered softly.
“When it suits him. I imagine he can tell lies better than most. He is ancient. Plenty of time to practice.”
“Older than you?”
“Yes.”
Major Resnick leaned back in his chair and gave her a stern look.
Hmmm. Time to shut up. But she leaned in closer to Gryton, her lips almost touching his ear. “We will talk more about this later.”
“I don’t doubt you’ll try,” he agreed, even his thoughts feeling resigned.
Together she and Gryton focused entirely on the dryad’s tale.
The dryad’s full title, Erika learned, was Master Larkwood. She was a dryad born of gargoyle stock, the product of a dryad and gargoyle mating. As such, she’d long since mastered the art of concealment and was a skilled scout. Her regular assignments put her inside enemy territory where she routinely spied upon the Battle Goddess’s patrols.
On her most recent mission, she’d overheard something that had absolutely terrified her.
One of the enemy, someone called Blood Witch Taryin, had summoned and entrapped a djinn.
From how the other fae reacted, Erika gathered a djinn was terrible news on a good day. But this was somehow worse.
“You know more about all this than I do,” she whispered in Gryton’s ear again. “Talk.”
His snort was his only response.
Unfortunately, while she could read his thoughts, if he wasn’t thinking about what she wanted to know, there was no way to force
him to. At this exact moment, he was thinking about polishing his armor.
“You’re doing it on purpose.” Her accusation didn’t reap a response from Gryton.
Elbowing him in the side to get his attention, she leaned closer until her breath stirred a few wisps of hair that had escaped his normally well-groomed braids. “Talk or I’ll suck you dry first chance I get.”
He stared down his nose at her, his eyes narrowing in that familiar way. But with a huff, he answered her. “A djinn is a very dangerous creature. They normally live in the Spirit Realm, where their energy powers all three realms’ growth and expansion.”
“By ‘three realms’ you mean the Universe, right?”
“Yes.”
“Wait!” When Major Resnick gave her another look, she lowered her voice even more. “You’re saying their power is like freaking dark matter?”
Gryton gave her a blank look until she explained.
“Yes. Their power fuels the universe’s expansion,” he agreed as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall. “But what makes a normal djinn dangerous to his or her master is that the spirit being has one aim: to get back to the Spirit Realm. And they always get back to their home realm, eventually.”
Erika sensed he was holding something back even if his thoughts didn’t outwardly suggest as much. “Keep talking. There’s something you aren’t telling me.”
He snorted. “There is a great deal I’m not telling you.”
Grinning evilly, she made to grab his bare hand. Skin on skin contact almost always triggered her superpower to feed.
“Wait. I’ll tell you the rest.” He held up his hand in surrender. “The djinn can be great destructive forces while they are in the magic or mortal realms. Long ago, some masters were foolish to pit djinn against djinn in battle to conquer empires. But sometimes those same djinns would sacrifice themselves in battle. In that instance, their power is absorbed by the remaining djinns but not before it has destroyed a good chunk of whatever realm their masters resided in.”
“Sounds like a cautionary tale why no one should play with the magical equivalent to a thermal nuclear bomb.”
Gryton arched a brow again, so she explained. “Weapons of mass destruction. In the wrong hands, they are mutually assured destruction.”
“An apt description.” Gryton hummed thoughtfully as he switched to speaking out loud now that multiple conversations had broken out at the table. “For the most part, a djinn is only dangerous to his or her master and anyone that master declares an enemy.”
Now it was Erika’s turn to arch an eyebrow, though it was in doubt of his words, not a question.
Gryton waved his hand dismissively. “Hmmm. Yes, well, sometimes the master’s kingdom gets vaporized along with the master when the djinn slips his control or outsmarts said master.”
“Yep. Djinn sound scary. But I’ve been in your head. I know what you’re capable of. And the Avatars are more powerful than you. Even Anna and Obsidian control great power. If we're honest, you’re all the stuff of nightmares.”
Gryton grinned, looking almost proud.
“That wasn’t a compliment, you dumbass.”
He snorted again. “It is if I take it as such.”
She rolled her eyes. “Keep talking. You still know more you aren’t saying.”
Gryton cocked a hip. “We will be here for a couple thousand years if you want me to tell you everything I know.”
“I’d be a ghost after the first hundred years, so I’m only interested in the djinns. For now.”
To her surprise, he continued without giving her a hard time. “What makes this djinn much more dangerous is that once the blood witch is done, he or she won’t be capable of rational thought. The witch’s loathsome power will eat away at the djinn’s soul until the creature is insane and will attack anything and everything in its path.”
Gryton paused and gazed at her.
“Not that what you’ve revealed isn’t scary enough to give me nightmares but keep going.”
He nodded, a tiny smile hovering at the corners of his lips. “If my parents can’t get to this djinn in time to neutralize the blood witch’s work, the djinn may spread the witch’s taint to the other djinn in the spirit realm. Do I need to explain how dangerous this could be for the entire universe?”
“Nope. Think I got it. Rabid genies with the ability to control all the dark matter in the universe. No wonder even you look freaked out. We’re talking apocalyptic level shit here.”
Again, he arched his eyebrow, and she explained.
“That would be an accurate description,” he agreed with a smile.
He looked entirely too pleased by this news.
“Why do you look so damn happy about that, Hot Stuff?” She might not know a lot about Gryton yet, but she knew he was a survivor. “Crazed genies running around destroying the universe won’t be very conducive to your long-term survival.”
“Because, if there is a djinn that needs slaying to save the universe, it likely means that is your real purpose.”
“As opposed to what?”
“Killing me.” Gryton tilted his head to study her from a new angle. “You see, I was certain the Divine Ones had sent you to assassinate me, and I’ve been trying to think of a way to kill you that wouldn’t get me killed or annoy my sire and dam enough that they would think I was unsalvageable and kill me themselves.”
Erika’s eyes widened. “I have no wish to murder you in cold blood.”
He smiled, a positively wicked look of delight in his eyes. “And I have no wish to get killed trying to kill a Null. Perhaps now I won’t need to poison you.”
Looking up at the ceiling, she counted to ten. When she looked back at Gryton, he was still grinning. “You know what? I think I really hate magic.”
Gryton laughed, a rich, beautiful sound.
She hated that, too, she decided. And everything else about the overconfident little prick.
Chapter 30
Gregory
AFTER THE DRYAD HAD told her tale and the meeting had ended, Gregory had convinced his Lady to come for a run with him. Now they stood in the forest outside the military’s temporary camp. The fumes of their machines still burned his nose, and he wanted nothing more than to run off into the woods and hunt with his Sorceress at his side or on his back.
But there was no time for anything more than a quick run.
“We have to return to the Magic Realm,” Gregory said into the silence, his heart heavy. A few months ago, he’d wanted nothing more than to return home with her.
“I know.” Lillian reached out for his hand.
“Our allies aren’t ready yet.”
“I know that, too.” She sighed. “But we don’t have a choice. We must bring the war to the Lady of Battles before the blood witch drives the djinn insane.”
“Or she uses him to summon more.”
“That, too.” Lillian gave his hand a tug and started to walk. “There is one blessing in all this.”
Gregory flicked an ear in question.
“From what Gryton has told us, there is only one blood witch, and she is self-taught. The Battle Goddess isn’t so foolish to allow her to take an apprentice. It’s unlikely the witch will summon a second djinn. She’s too smart to attempt something so foolish. No master can hope to control two djinns and survive more than a short time.”
“We can only hope our son is correct in his assessment of the witch’s intelligence,” Gregory said, knowing he sounded doubtful.
“He watched her develop. Gryton wouldn’t have maintained his position as commander for as long as he did without learning how to read people. He knows her. If he claims she isn’t so foolish as to bind a second djinn, she won’t. And as long as the Lady of Battles forbids her from taking an apprentice, the Magic and Mortal Realms should be safe from a second djinn.”
Gregory huffed. “One djinn is bad enough. Especially if it is who I think it is.”
“You think i
t is Naharnin?” His Sorceress questioned, her voice a soft whisper.
“Naharnin always frets when we leave the Spirit Realm to be born as flesh and blood beings. He would know all that has befallen us in this life. If he felt a djinn being summoned, he would be the one to answer it to come to our aid.”
“Thick headed male.”
Gregory laughed. “I would do the same in his place.”
“My point exactly.” Lillian’s expression turned serious. “If it is our ancient companion, then he will hold out longer against the blood witch’s magic than another djinn would. That is a blessing. I would rather battle a sane djinn than an insane one.”
“And I would rather not battle a djinn at all, especially not Naharnin.” When he felt his throat tighten with emotion, he cleared it and continued on like his voice hadn’t just trembled. “The destruction will be vast.”
“Yes, but only if we fail. I don’t plan on failing him. We will rescue Naharnin and make the witch pay.” Stepping up to him, Lillian rested her cheek against his chest. Sighing happily, he folded his wings around them both and nuzzled her hair. She relaxed into him, her weight and warmth pleasant against his skin.
“I could stay like this forever,” she purred. “Regrettably, we must make plans and ready our human and fae allies to journey to the Magic Realm within the next few days.”
With a final nuzzle to her hair, he let her step back. “I will go tell Thayn that we are ready to face Lord Draydrak and then we must convince the humans to allow the new legion to travel from Haven to the Mortal Realm.”
Lillian laughed. “I’ll recruit Gran to help with that. We might need her and her art of persuasion to accomplish that miracle.”
“There is someone else we must try to wake first.”
“My father.” His Sorceress tilted her head back, her gaze meeting his. Pain shimmered in their depths. “It could be dangerous for him.”
“Yes. But it will be more dangerous if we don’t wake him. Stalks the Darkness lived in the Battle Goddess’s kingdom for years. We need his knowledge. If we can heal and wake him, I want him as one of our captains. We finally have enough gargoyles here to attempt a healing. Even Gryton and his Null may be able to aid us.” Gregory’s wings twitched with the need to encircle her again. “But it is your choice; you and your family’s.”
The Complete Gargoyle and Sorceress Boxset (Books 1-9) Page 173