“Yes, my love?”
“Where’s my half of the Avatar soul? Not that I’m complaining. But I seem to have misplaced her.”
“We discussed that while I was still the Avatar. I put you in the hamadryad here in the Magic Realm and then migrated into the tree. From there, the hamadryad sent the male half of my soul back into this body, and the female half stayed in the hamadryad. Does that arrangement still please you?”
“It’s perfect. Any arrangement is fine with me.”
“I have something else to ask.”
“Anything.”
“If you are not averse to the idea, I’d like to stay here and claim a conqueror’s rights and remake the Battle Goddess’s kingdom into the new home for Second Legion.”
“Of course.” Lillian didn’t really care where she lived as long as her loved ones were with her or came to visit. And seeing how Gran and Thayn’s ‘friendship’ was developing, she imagined Gran would find excuses to visit the Magic Realm a great deal.
“Good, because the hamadryad Sorceress has already moved your hamadryad from Earth to the grove here to have our child as close as possible. She also brought all the little potted hamadryads you were growing. I think she’s impatient to expand on our little family.”
Lillian braced on her elbows so she could stare down into his eyes. “I take it our daughter and my tree are both fine?”
“Yes. Very. Greenborrow and Jason are already mapping out a new maze to plant around the trees.”
“Jason’s alive? Greenborrow survived, too? Gran and the others had lost track of them in the fighting, and no one had found him by the time I went to the Spirit Realm.”
“They were busy hunting down an incubus-hybrid who had killed Whitethorn.”
“Thayn told me about Whitethorn’s death. The Leader of the Hunt will be remembered.”
“He fought bravely. Everyone fought bravely; although, all factions of our alliance lost a lot of good people. You’ll be pleased to know Major Resnick survived, as did the rest of his unit. They were either lucky, blessed by the Divine Ones, or humans are a lot more formidable than I’d originally judged. Though they took some substantial injuries. But the healers have seen to them and say all of Resnick’s team will live.”
Lillian’s heart lightened a little more with each piece of good news.
Gregory suddenly cupped her cheek. “I had Anna and Obsidian moved to the new grove. They will recover and wake in a year or two. They just need rest and time to adjust to their new powers. As for Darkness, he has spent his time watching over them and you,” Gregory paused again and gave her a gentle squeeze, “and holding vigil over your mother’s body.”
“I should go to my father. Be there with him.”
“He would rather you rest and grow strong once more. He’ll perform the returning to nature ritual in two days. Many other such ceremonies will be held at the same time. We wished to give the other magic wielders time to heal or travel here so they can grieve together before the rituals of mourning.
“That is wise.” She swallowed hard. “Do we know how many we lost?”
“We are still trying to determine that. We are also trying to determine how many of the enemy escaped to Earth through the portal spell.”
“Goddess. The military back home wasn’t able to contain them?”
“They weren’t given a chance. Naharnin shifted the portal’s exit point. They arrived on Earth north of the original anchor.”
“We have to do something.” Lillian started to rise. “Naharnin is too dangerous to leave on Earth.”
“I know. The Sorceress hamadryad already has a plan in the works.”
Chapter 38
Gregory
THERE WAS NO STOPPING Lillian once she’d made up her mind and soon Gregory found himself escorting his beloved mate to her two hamadryad trees to check that all was well. Not that she didn’t trust him, but she said it was a mother’s right to worry all the same.
He’d waited for Lillian to satisfy herself about the health of their child before he approached the subject of Naharnin again.
“The Sorceress and I are both concerned about Naharnin being on Earth. It could be disastrous.”
“I feel fine. We should go at once and find him. I may not have my powers of the Sorceress at the moment, but I have all my memories. I know how dangerous a trapped djinn is.”
“Yes. But you cannot go.”
“Why?” Her eyes narrowed. “You’re not about to go all over-the-top protective on me, are you?”
“That is a distinct possibility, but that is not why we can’t go.” His hands, which had been resting on her shoulders, moved down her arms and then came to rest on her hips for a moment before his thumbs caressed her belly.
“There was another complication the Avatar did not foresee.”
Her eyes widened, and then she glanced down at her flat belly. “Do you mean a baby? But how?”
Gregory coughed, and he knew a sheepish look was covering his face. “The Avatar is a source of the Divine Ones’ creative power.”
“Keep talking.”
“The Avatar was feeling uncharacteristically male when his mortal mate journeyed all the way to the Spirit Realm to find him. It wasn’t planned or intentional, but the creative energies sparked.”
She leaned back, her eyes going wide again. “Are we going to have another Gryton?”
“No. This child won’t be like either Gryton or our gargoyle daughter. This one will be more like a djinn. That is why we can’t return to the Mortal Realm. The child can’t survive in that magicless place until he or she is much older.” He paused, uncertain if she blamed him. “Are you angry at the Avatar?”
“No. I’m not angry.” She smiled gently. “Though I’m going to point out that you’re talking about yourself in the third person.”
“Both halves of the Avatar soul were together then, so in a sense I differ from that being.” He shrugged.
“I’m just joking with you.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.
A wave of giddiness bled off her, and she chuckled until tears ran down her face.
“And what is so humorous, my Lady?”
“Are we ever going to have a ‘planned’ pregnancy?”
His lips twisted in humor. “That would be Gryton. We planned for him.”
He watched as her humor died as swiftly as it had come. “He’ll come back, won’t he?”
“Of course he will. He loves you. And the Null; he loves her, too. Though I think the dragon is the only one who has figured that out.”
Lillian snorted. “Gryton’s delightfully oblivious to the fact, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
After a time, Lillian came to stand between the three hamadryads and looked upon her oldest tree where it grew near her mother’s. “You said the Sorceress was working on the Naharnin issue. In what way? Because if we can’t go after him and Anna and Obsidian will sleep for a year or more, and who knows how long before Gryton’s return, how will we find and free Naharnin?”
“You may not like it.” Gregory wasn’t sure how he felt about it himself. It would mean his other half returning to the Mortal Realm without him since he couldn’t leave Lillian while she was pregnant with their djinn child. She would need his magic to keep her and the baby strong. “But the Sorceress has cloned your body.” He held up his hand to forestall the many questions he saw in her gaze. “Be at ease. The Sorceress knows she has time to grow the body properly this time. It will be safe. It won’t be Daryna all over again. I can promise you that.”
He could see it as his mate worked through the emotional impact of the news he’d just shared. At last, she sighed, leaned in close, and pressed another kiss to his jaw.
“Do not worry my gargoyle. I can’t very well get bent out of shape since this was the Sorceress’s plan—my plan—since I first discovered how Naharnin viewed us. I wished to correct the mistake of how we treated him. So, if either of us should ask forgiveness, it is I
who should ask for your forgiveness. Though, I wouldn’t have created a second me without your permission. But apparently hamadryad me doesn’t worry about niceties like that.”
Once again, his mate had managed to surprise him. He doubted she’d ever lose the ability. “You are okay with the hamadryad’s actions?”
“Yes. I’m okay with just about anything as long as we’re together.” Lillian reached down and captured his hand, giving it a tug. “Come on. I see Greenborrow headed this way. I want to talk about designing the new maze. And if we’re going to be stuck in the Magic Realm for a while, I know some hamadryad cuttings that would likely be happier in the ground.”
Lillian looked at the area, studying the three trees. Her expression turned sad when her gaze settled on her mother’s tree. “Do you think the Sorceress can keep my mother’s tree alive as a monument to her bravery and sacrifice? It would also give my father a place to mourn.”
“Your hamadryad is you. She has likely already read your secret wishes and seen that they are done, but if you wish to be certain, simply communicate with her. That is always within your power. After all, you and your hamadryad are one being. Thus, you are still and will always be my Sorceress.”
“And you are my beloved Gargoyle Protector always. No matter what lives we live.”
Epilogue
Erika
THIS WAS HER LAST NIGHT in the Magic Realm, Erika reflected as she stared up at the night sky. She’d be returning to Earth shortly with the last team. Gregory had secured permission for her to stay this long, saying he wanted to make certain she hadn’t sustained damage from the battle or the dragon’s abrupt and violent transformation into a star.
But Erika secretly thought the gargoyle demigod was allowing her the time she needed to deal with her grief over the loss of her dragon. He’d thought she needed these last few nights. And he’d been correct. Coming here and sitting on this bench next to the hamadryads and gazing up at the sky, watching as stars spun by, did help. Though there was only one she was interested in.
Tonight, the sky was darker, the stars easier to see since none of the three moons had yet risen. She was so focused on the sky, she almost missed the stirring in the darkness to the right of the bench, but her ability awoke a moment before the shadows shivered and Gregory appeared beside her.
She nodded in welcome as he settled on the bench next to her. The Avatar looked up at the sky for a moment before his deep voice reached out to her. “What is my son up to this night?”
“Much the same as usual, I assume.”
Some secret amusement twinkled in his eyes while he regarded her, but at last he told her what was on his mind. “You are uniquely able to track his recovery if you so wish.”
Erika sat up straighter. “What are you talking about.”
“Your soul-link with my son.” He tipped his head to indicate her chest.
Reaching up, she placed her hand over her breast. Then, as if acknowledging her, a small tendril of magic expanded out from the soul-shard and flared along her mind.
There were no words, but she felt a growing warmth, and then emotions too wild and chaotic to decipher flooded into her mind.
“Do you feel my son?”
“Yes.” She glanced up at him. “Why didn’t you tell me about this before? I’ve been worried about him.”
“I know. But it wasn’t a lie when I said I needed to ensure you hadn’t been harmed by the dragon’s transformation. I’ve only now determined you’ve recovered enough from all the battle magic you absorbed that it is safe for you to attempt to touch the dragon.”
The gargoyle looked up at the night sky. A smile touched his lips. “You will be good for my son. But don’t get yourself killed while the dragon is indisposed. It will anger him a great deal. He’d probably storm the Spirit Realm to get you back. I’d prefer a dragon not go rampaging through my home while I’m away.”
Erika snorted. “I’ll try not to get killed then.”
“Good.”
“But what happens if I die of old age before he returns?”
“I suppose we’ll have to deal with that if it happens.” The gargoyle didn’t sound too concerned by the possibility. “I shall leave you to your thoughts. Goodbye Private Erika Emerson, oldest of the First Wave and greatest of the Nulls. Our paths will cross again one day.”
Then the gargoyle summoned the shadows and vanished as swiftly as he’d come.
“Wait!” Erika jumped off the bench. “And... you’re gone.”
The Avatar might have left her with more questions than she’d started with, but he’d also told her she could still sense and track Gryton’s progress. That was a great gift she hadn’t even known she still possessed.
She pressed her palm against her chest again. As had happened before, the soul-link flared with warmth.
A foolish wave of happy tears flowed down her cheeks.
“Are those tears for me? I’m going to start to think you care, Null,” whispered a voice that was equal parts haughty, familiar, and beloved. “We’ll see each other again one day.”
“Gryton! We will see each other again! I’ll accept nothing less from you!” More tears flowed down her cheeks.
Some part of Gryton still lived inside that star, and she would have faith her friend would return. She felt another flicker of his mirth, but he didn’t speak again, and soon even that spark of personality was lost under the chaotic churn of a feral fire elemental’s ravenous desires.
But she’d felt him in her mind, and the piece of his soul she kept safe was still a warmth in her chest. He’d return to her one day. She knew in her heart that he would.
“Ho there!” Another, gruffer voice called out to her.
She turned toward the sound and saw Greenborrow in the company of the pooka and the banshee approaching her. “Private Emerson. We’ll be returning to the Mortal Realm shortly to help with the hunt for the Battle Goddess’s underlings on Earth. Gregory said he saw you here. Thought you’d like to come with us. You ready to leave?”
“I am now.” She started to follow them but paused and glanced up at her dragon star one last time. “But I have a feeling the Magic Realm isn’t done with me yet.”
THE END
Lillian and Gregory’s tale may have come to an end, but Corporal Anna Mackenzie and Obsidian’s adventures will continue in Legacy of Shadows coming in December 2020. And then Private Erika Emerson and her grumpy elemental dragon later in 2021.
Preorder Sworn to Shadows Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D7XX374
Other Amazon Marketplaces geolink: mybook.to/sworn-to-shadows
Hey before you go, can I interest you in signing up for my author newsletter?
You get Dawn of the Sorceress, the Gargoyle & Sorceress prequel story, as a gift for joining.
Get Dawn of the Sorceress: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/oyo3d17n5w
Did you enjoy the Gargoyle & Sorceress Tales?
If you have a moment and wouldn’t mind leaving a review, that would be greatly appreciated.
Reviews help other readers to decide if a book is something they would like.
It doesn’t need to be long. Even a few words is tremendously helpful.
Click here to leave a review on Amazon
None of this would have been possible without, you, my readers.
You’re awesome!
Thank You!
Lisa Blackwood
OTHER BOOKS BY LISA BLACKWOOD
GARGOYLE & SORCERESS: Legacy of Shadows
Sworn to Shadows
In Deception’s Shadow Series (Epic Fantasy Romance)
Betrayal’s Price
Herd Mistress
Maiden’s Wolf
Death’s Queen
The Prince’s Gryphon (forthcoming)
ISHTAR’S LEGACY SERIES (Epic Fantasy Romance)
Ishtar’s Blade
The Blade’s Beginning (short story)
Blade’s Honor
Bla
de’s Destiny
The Blade’s Shadow
First Queen of the Gryphons
The Anunnaki’s Blade (forthcoming)
HUNTRESS VS HUNTSMAN (Epic Fantasy Romance)
Master of the Hunt
Night Huntress
Dragon Archer
Soul Mage (forthcoming)
The Complete Gargoyle and Sorceress Boxset (Books 1-9) Page 199