But Lillian had seen what a few well-aimed grenades had done to Gryton.
If something did come to light, Lillian would share it with Corporal Mackenzie and Major Resnick. Together, they might have the best chance of coming up with a plan to neutralize Daryna, if worst came to worst.
As far as plans went, it was a pitifully weak one. But it gave Lillian some peace knowing that if her suspicions proved correct there would be someone other than Gregory there to make the hard choices.
Lillian set aside her dark thoughts for now. She was supposed to report to Gran and help with brainstorming ways to ‘magic-proof’ the military’s weapons so they wouldn’t suffer a magic-induced malfunction during battle.
Given what she’d just been thinking, it might be prudent to have weapons that magic couldn’t easily sabotage.
∞∞∞
Standing shoulder to shoulder with Gran, Lillian looked down upon a table full of weapons. Greenborrow stood on Gran’s other side. Colonel Tremblay, Lieutenant-Colonel Harmon, Major Resnick, and three other military personnel Lillian had never met before filled in the table’s other three sides.
Gran put down a sidearm and hoisted a large rifle instead. Lillian didn’t know guns, but she thought it was a sniper rifle. This beast looked badass. Its every line telling anyone who looked upon it that it existed for one reason; to inflict pure carnage upon an enemy.
“It’s just as vulnerable to magic as the smaller guns,” Gran said with a curl of her lip. “If you’d like me to demonstrate, I’d suggest going somewhere safer. Preferably a place with a nice bulletproof barrier to stop any stray bullets or shrapnel.”
Colonel Tremblay seemed equal parts pleased that Gran was willing to demonstrate and disturbed by how quickly magic could render their weapons vulnerable.
“This will be fun.” Greenborrow hooted and slapped his good arm against his thigh. “Magic plus propellants always equals a nice boom. However, I must say I’m curious what it could do to C-4 and things with a bigger explosive force.”
“Missiles,” Gran said nodding sagely. “Those could be defeated if a magic wielder sensed them coming and reacted fast enough to destroy the missile before getting blown to bits.”
While Gran and Greenborrow gleefully discussed plans on what they’d enjoy blowing up, Lillian’s thoughts turned to the reason for this little session.
While the Battle Goddess and her army had never come up against modern technology before, the Fae and their new human allies couldn’t assume the enemy wouldn’t figure out that a well-placed energy discharge near live ammo had an explosive effect. If something wasn’t done, a simple spell forged by the enemy could ignite ammo cartridges and deliver a devastating blow to whatever earth forces joined the fight.
Gran picked up a grenade next. “I think with a little trial and error, we can find a way to ward-spell them with a type of shielding magic which might ‘magic proof’ your guns. At least for a short time. Don’t expect miracles. Magic and metal never play nice.”
“But you think it can be done?” Resnick asked.
Gran nodded. “I certainly hope so, because next time the Lady of Battles sends her goons to this realm, it would be nice to have some effective modern artillery to back us up. A tank or twenty might come in handy.”
Major Resnick choked back a laugh. But it was Colonel Tremblay who answered. “Let’s start with the guns. If all goes well, we’ll see what we can do about larger ordnance.”
“Good,” Gran said as she picked up a gun and tried to figure out how to release the clip.
Major Resnick did it for her and Lillian noticed the clip was empty.
It wasn’t really a surprise. Trust had to be earned. On both sides.
“I assume you have a place for us to work?” Gran asked.
Resnick nodded. “We have a safe room already set up for your use.”
Good. Accidentally shooting somebody wouldn’t help the newborn alliance.
“Come, Lillian,” Gran called over her shoulder as she followed the officers out into the hall. “You too, Greenborrow. And see if you can find Whitethorn. We could use his help with this. Finding a way to anchor a shielding spell to the metal of the gun is going to take a lot of brainpower and a nice big pot of tea.”
This was going to take hours. Long hours where Daryna and Gregory would be off working together while she was here. At least they weren’t alone. They were working with the banshee, the unicorn, and the pooka.
Sighing, Lillian reminded herself there was lots of work to be done. Now was not the time to be jealous. With new determination, she followed Gran and the others, ready to start working toward a way to inflict harm on the Lady of Battles.
∞∞∞
Six hours later, Lillian straightened from where she was leaning over a worktable. Her back protesting, she stretched and stomped feeling back into her feet. Even the aches and pains caused from standing unmoving for so long didn’t dull her sense of accomplishment.
Twelve prototype spell-warded rifles now lay spread across the worktable. It had taken some trial and error. And an explosion or two; one she’d triggered herself from behind the safety of a bulletproof barrier. Yet in the end, they now had working prototypes.
As Gran had suggested, finding a way to affix the spell to the rifle had been the most difficult part. The first two dozen tries had all ended with the spell disintegrating where it was attached to the metal. Sometimes the spell would buck and fight before slipping free of the metal and falling away from the gun. Gran had been correct. Magic and metal repelled each other like magnets of opposite polarity.
In the end, it was Greenborrow who said trying to attach the ward-spells to the rifles was too much like trying to saddle and ride a fractious horse. That had given Whitethorn the idea of weaving the ward-spell into a halter or net that could be slipped over the weapons. Once they managed that, a simple trigger spell had been enough to tighten a shielding spell over the rifle like a snug fitting glove.
The resulting product was a rather otherworldly looking firearm. A long green line ran along the top of the gun and down the handle.
Gran said the glow was a result of the ward-spell interacting with the base metals of the weapon. Over time, likely three or four days, the spell would be drained of power. Once that happened, the gun would be rendered vulnerable to magical attacks again. But as long as the spell was active, the rifle and wielder would be protected from magic-induced misfires.
Or at least that was the plan.
“They are not very subtle,” Lillian said with an arched brow directed at Gran.
“They’re sniper rifles. It’s not like they were very subtle to begin with. Besides, the strength of the glow will let the humans know how much longer their weapons will be useful to them.” Gran nodded to the ammo cartridges. “Same with those.”
“These will take a lot of maintenance.” Lillian shuddered at the thought of doing hundreds of these spells each day.
“We can do huge batches and store them away from any metal and then bring them out as needed. Even the weakest of the Fae could trigger the spell once it’s placed on the weapon.”
Lillian gave the table a skeptical once over. But now that they’d figured out the spell and how to attach it to a weapon, the process was likely to go faster from now on.
Gran left unsaid that this way there would always be a Fae directly involved with the work. And if for some reason these weapons fell into enemy hands or the new alliance went south, these guns would only be viable for a limited time.
The humans were likely to be annoyed by the news, but it was the truth.
“These will still have to be tested in the field,” Gran was saying, “but this is a start.”
Lillian nodded agreement. “Good. I’m going to see if Gregory and Daryna are finished for the day and then grab some food.”
What she didn’t say was that it was well past time for her to reclaim her mate’s attention.
Chapter 10
As fate would have it, Lillian didn’t escape until after Resnick and his henchmen had had all their questions about the new ward-spelled weapons answered to their full satisfaction. Now she waited at the main gate for the soldiers to wave her through so she could go home at last. She refrained from growling at them even though she really wanted to snarl at something.
She was so hungry she could have eaten the pooka.
Finally, the gate slid open and the guards waved her through. While she trudged past them, she cursed herself for walking this morning instead of driving. But in her defense, it wasn’t like she could get either Gregory or Daryna into a car to save her life.
Next time she was driving. The Avatars could run along behind.
Now all she wanted was a quiet dinner. With Gregory, if she could separate him from Daryna for a few hours. If her mate wasn’t at the house, she’d just park herself in front of the fridge and start eating.
Her stomach rumbled louder at the thought of food. Lillian supposed an increased appetite shouldn’t really come as a surprise. Given the opportunity, she knew gargoyles could pack away three times what a human ate in a day. A pregnant female gargoyle might just be able to surpass their male counterparts in that regard.
She crossed the road to walk on the tree-shaded side; the forest’s welcoming presence always replenished her reserves. Some of the fatigue was just falling away when movement between the tree trunks drew her eye.
At first, she thought she’d picked up another military babysitter. Then her senses homed in on the other person. Ah. Not military. This person possessed magic.
A moment later the banshee ghosted between the trees, allowing the fading light to catch on the silver comb that held her wealth of hair pinned to the back of her head. She made eye contact with Lillian and then vanished back deeper into the forest. Her soft footfalls continued to rustle the leaf litter. She hadn’t gone far, then.
If that was the case, it most likely meant she wanted to be seen by Lillian but didn’t want others to know.
Now what?
Then Lillian remembered the banshee had been assigned to work with Gregory and Daryna. With difficulty, Lillian maintained her direction and pace, not wanting to give away the banshee’s location in case she was being watched. It was hard, though. Lillian’s every instinct was urging her to storm into the woods and find out what concern had convinced the banshee to seek her out in secret.
When the first side road presented itself, Lillian took it. Unhurriedly she walked to the next patch of deepening shadow along the tree line. Once she was in the deepest part, she called her shadow magic and faded from any mortal eyes that might be watching.
She didn’t trust her own skills completely, so darted into the forest as quickly as possible. Then she followed where her gargoyle senses led. She found the banshee standing under an oak tree.
After scanning the area to be certain they were alone, Lillian dropped her shadow magic and approached the banshee.
“What has happened? Is Gregory okay?”
“Your avatar mate was well when last I saw him a mere hour ago.”
Lillian raised an eyebrow. “Daryna then?”
“She was well,” the banshee said, but a thread of fear now entered her voice.
“Go on. We’re alone here.”
The banshee paced between two trees, too agitated to stay in one place.
That can’t be a good sign, Lillian decided.
“Are you aware that a banshee can sense deception?”
Lillian hadn’t really thought of it like that, but Gregory had said banshees could sense a truth from a lie. “Yes. Gregory shared that bit of knowledge with me.”
“Sometimes our gift is so strong as to be able to read thoughts. Although that is not always the case. Certainly not if the one we are trying to read is a powerful worker of magic. But even so, my kind know when we are being told a lie.” The banshee made a frustrated sound. “I wish I had more to tell you, some definitive proof. But I don’t. The Sorceress is too strong for me to read her thoughts, but my nature detects something off—a deception when I am near her. It is subtle.”
Again, the banshee betrayed her unease by rubbing a hand against her thigh. “Perhaps deception is too strong a word. But there is an avoidance in Daryna. Or there’s something she does not want others to know yet. Or…it could simply be her ancient nature. She has lifetimes of knowledge she’s been tasked with guarding. Gregory sometimes has that sense about him as well.”
“When did you first notice this?”
“From the moment I laid eyes on the Sorceress after she emerged from the hamadryad.” The banshee frowned, worry lines marring her smooth, ageless features. “But the feeling was stronger this afternoon when I worked with her and Gregory. What I sense from her is not evil…just a wrongness.”
“Thank you for sharing your worries with me.” Lillian braced a shoulder against a tree and sighed deeply. It was both a worry and a relief to have another give voice to her fears. She debated what to confide in the other Fae, and then settled on everything. “I suspected my hamadryad of interference even before she cloned me and created this new sorceress.”
“What made you suspect?”
“I had Commander Gryton under my sword’s point when my hamadryad spirited him off somewhere before I could end him. When Daryna arrived, I asked her about it, but she said if I’d killed Gryton it might have triggered a fiery apocalypse, but she also said that Gryton was needed, or useful, or some other line of crap I didn’t honestly believe. My doubts were further compounded when Daryna said Gryton had escaped.”
Lillian glanced down at her fingers. Her gargoyle talons had flexed longer, her body responding to the worry in her mind. She didn’t want to say the rest as if uttering the words would make them real, and she very much didn’t want it to be true.
“Go on,” the banshee urged. “Lies and evasions only weaken our core strength.”
“The hamadryad whispered that Gryton was needed, but the more I examine those memories, the greater my unease grows. I don’t think the hamadryad was just protecting Commander Gryton. I believe she was protective of him.”
The banshee looked about as unhappy as Lillian felt.
“Do you think something of the demon seed survived?” Even as Lillian asked it, she didn’t believe it. This — whatever this was — felt different than the demon seed.
The banshee shook her head. “I would have detected evil.”
“We need some kind of proof. If I go to Gregory with this now, I’m going to seem like the jealous lover. Not to mention it will tip off Daryna if I say anything to Gregory. We need proof, and then we need a swift plan of action. But even then, we’ll need Gregory’s cooperation.”
Lillian very much wanted her suspicions to be wrong, but the banshee sensed something was off. That made two of them. And she wasn’t a believer in coincidence.
But, by the Divine Ones, what could they do against the Mother’s Sorceress? Only Gregory was her match. In theory. But would he go against her even if there was proof of her duplicity?
Hell, Earth probably wouldn’t survive a war between the Avatars.
“I desperately hope we’re both wrong. But we need to watch Daryna while not giving away that we suspect her. If we find something, we’ll take it to Gregory. If he can’t or won’t act, there is one other who might be able to stop Daryna.”
The banshee raised a brow in question. “No Fae or mortal has any hope of defeating the Sorceress in a fight.”
“No. But a demigod just might. If we find some proof of wrongdoing, I’ll find a way to take what I’ve learned to the Lord of the Underworld.”
“You would destroy yourself?” The banshee was surprised.
“No. But I would destroy a flawed copy to protect everything I love in this world.” Lillian rested her hand on her belly.
Although without the power of the Mother’s Sorceress, Lillian didn’t know if it was possible to win a war against the Battle Goddess.
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Earth might lose regardless of what path they chose.
Lillian closed her eyes and prayed she was wrong.
Chapter 11
Not long after Lillian and the banshee parted company, Gregory came bounding through the forest and nearly knocked her off her feet with an exuberant greeting. At first, Lillian was afraid Gregory had caught the underlying worry or the direction her recent thoughts had taken, and he’d come to unearth the reason for her distress.
But after his greeting, he showed no signs of suspicion.
“I missed you. When I finished the spell work with Daryna and returned to the house, you weren’t back yet.” Gregory looked equal parts upset and sheepish. “I should have stayed in contact with you throughout the day.”
“It’s all right. You’ve had your plate full these last few days.”
“I’m never too busy to spend time with my mate.” Gregory nuzzled her and inched closer.
When he reared up and took her in his arms, it wasn’t really a surprise. Lillian’s worries fell away for a short time while she returned his embrace.
“What great weaving of magic did you and Daryna create today?” Lillian asked, hoping her question diverted him from picking up her earlier concerns.
“We built two traps. Anyone from the Magic Realm using the hamadryad to travel here will find themselves captured and transported to another holding spell well away from any populated areas. The prison dome now has Fae and military guards watching it.”
“Sounds fun.”
“And your day?” He asked in a rumbling tone.
“Long,” Lillian said with a laugh. “Long and tedious. We’ve been working on rendering the military’s weapons less vulnerable to magical attack. Several of the prototype guns are ready for testing. They’d like to try to shoot us with them tomorrow, I believe.”
Gregory laughed. “A new hunting game? And do we get to hunt them in turn?”
Only a gargoyle would think getting shot at was fun. “You’ll have to talk to Anna and Major Resnick about that.”
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