The scientist paused but held his ground. He turned toward Lillian next, a dogged expression on his face. “Then I’ll just…”
Lillian laughed, but there was a sarcastic bark to her tone she’d learned from Anna Mackenzie. “Hell no. I’ve already had your science team’s premium package deal.”
With that, she sidestepped the scientist and started toward where the two Fae equines were waiting at the edge of the forest, well away from the humans. Gregory followed, leaving the scientist to mutter under his breath.
They were halfway to the unicorn and pooka when Gregory’s long strides overtook Lillian’s shorter ones. Presently, she was still dryad, although she would need to shapeshift into her gargoyle form for this new game. Gregory would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit he was looking forward to spending time with gargoyle Lillian. Perhaps after this hunt, he and Lillian could split away from the others.
But first things first. Gregory followed Lillian to where the unicorn and pooka waited.
“Are the humans done talking yet?” The pooka’s familiar surly tones reached deep into Gregory’s mind. “I’m looking forward to this hunt.”
“This is a wargame, not a hunt. You know that, yes?”
The pooka snorted, lifted his muzzle and curled his lips back to catch some scent. “If you say so.”
“I do. There will be no hostilities during this hunt. The humans are our friends.” Even Gregory could hear the sour note in his voice. The humans might be allies, but it would be a very long time before he called any of them friends. There was too much hate and bigotry. Or simple fear and misunderstanding. They had a long way to achieve enlightenment. Gregory narrowed his eyes, so too did many of the Fae, he supposed.
“I thought the Avatars didn’t lie,” the pooka continued. “You like the humans no better than I.”
“I’m willing to like the humans. Well, after they prove themselves trustworthy.” Gregory eyed the pooka from the end of his muzzle to the tip of his tail. “You, on the other hand, have a hearty disdain for all other creatures.”
“True,” the pooka agreed, his yellow eyes glowing with humor.
Lillian reached out and scratched the black pony’s neck. Gregory grinned at the equine’s sudden goofy look. Maybe the pooka didn’t hate everyone. Perhaps he’d even trust Lillian enough to share his true name with her one day.
As an Avatar, Gregory could use spirit magic and read everything about the pooka, but to do so would be a violation in the eyes of the Divine Ones. Both mortals and immortals were granted free will at their creation. To know an immortal’s true name was to hold power over them, power that could be used to curtail their free will. Hence, why Gregory would never force any Fae to share their true names.
Some Fae were so suspicious, like the pooka, that they wouldn’t even take a secondary name for fear that the name could be used to bind them.
Gregory wasn’t overly worried about the pooka, though. Of all the Fae, he was the most honest about his motives. He loved the hunt. And he would kill an enemy without a twinge of guilt marring his consciousness later.
“I know a secluded glade that isn’t far from here.” The pooka’s mental statement was meant for Lillian alone, but Gregory picked up on it. After last night, her mind was open to him again.
Their time of intimacy had strengthened the blood bond between Lillian and himself once more. Her thoughts were ever present in the back of his mind. All he had to do was reach for them. His were the same for her to read if she so chose.
He’d missed their closeness and didn’t plan to allow anything to come between them again.
Not even a black, evil tempered little pony.
“Nice try, but my mate isn’t going to be stripping down in front of you.”
The pooka snorted in surprise. “Lillian is lovely, but she is not my type.”
Gregory’s mind was just starting to speculate on the pooka’s type when his yellow eyes locked on Gran as she approached.
Ah. So that was the way of it. Not that it was really a surprise. Even though everyone called Vivian by the nickname Gran, she was still an elegant looking woman in the prime of life.
“I should shift,” Lillian said, drawing his attention back to her. “I see Daryna headed this way. I think the impromptu meeting is over.”
At her words, the pooka glanced up at the newcomers.
“That’s too many humans for me. I’m out. But I will meet you deeper in the forest.” The pooka started away then paused and turned his head to glance back at Gregory. “Beware gargoyle. I think this wargame might be more of a hunt than a game.”
With that ambiguous warning, the yellow-eyed pony turned and trotted off, his tail flagged out behind him.
Unease penetrated Gregory’s earlier enthusiasm. Yet he wasn’t so naïve as to fully trust the humans. Still, he would heed the pooka’s warning.
Daryna joined them, her power as the Mother’s Sorceress washing along his senses even before she’d stopped at his side.
“I think the humans are almost ready.”
Again there was that mild note of disdain for the mortals. Gregory couldn’t pass judgment, though. In his darker moments, he’d had similar emotions regarding this modern world.
“Well, let’s get this show on the road,” Lillian said and gestured towards the path the pooka had taken. Gregory dropped to all fours and loped alongside Lillian. Daryna fell in on his other side.
“The pooka knows a small clearing where Lillian can shapeshift away from the scientists,” Gregory explained to Daryna.
“Good. Those scientists seem…eager.”
Gregory huffed in humor and Lillian echoed his thoughts for him. “You’re too polite.”
They made the rest of the short journey in silence and soon reached the spot the pooka had scouted out earlier. It was blessedly free of the noise and strange scents of technology. Here the forest creatures still went about their business, undisturbed by the humans he could still hear in the distance.
“This will do,” Lillian said as she tugged off her outer clothing. Underneath she was wearing the ward-spelled garments he’d created to shapeshift with her.
She dropped to all fours as magic flickered along her body. The familiar power shimmered brighter, and then wings emerged from her back. Moments after, horns thrust up from her hairline. Then in a blur too fast to follow, his dryad beloved vanished, replaced by gargoyle Lillian.
She gave her wings and tail a shake and then straightened, her muzzle curling back as she caught his scent.
“Hmmm, you still smell far too good,” Lillian said with a hiss. “Am I ever going to get used to that?”
Gregory gave her a toothy gargoyle grin. “I hope not.”
Bounding across the small distance, he bumped his muzzle under her hand as he dragged in a deeper breath of her scent.
“Our gargoyle form is magnificent,” Daryna said as she looked Lillian over. “While I do not enjoy the Battle Goddess’s manipulations, I cannot fault her taste in design. You make a beautiful gargoyle.”
Lillian studied Daryna silently and then glanced at Gregory. He sensed some unknown emotion flowed between the two women, but they were both now shielding their thoughts. Before he could dig deeper, Anna came tromping up to them. Shadowlight was running circles around her in a playful abandon, and the one-horned fool was bringing up the rear of their little caravan.
“All teams are in place. We are ready to start,” Anna announced to the group at large and then she glanced pointedly at Daryna. “Gran and Resnick said you were going to watch from the sidelines, showing them some magic real-time surveillance spell thing.”
“I did. And now that I’ve seen my new gargoyle self with my own eyes, I’ll return to Vivian and Resnick,” Daryna said with a placid nod of her head. “And if the unicorn would be so gallant as to offer me a ride, it would save some time.”
The unicorn danced in place, his body language saying he’d rather take part in the hunt than act the pa
rt of faithful mount, but he obeyed Daryna’s request and sidled up beside her to offer his back.
With a gracious nod, Daryna grabbed a fistful of the unicorn’s mane and leaped up onto his back. Once she was astride, the unicorn arched his neck and neighed a challenge at the other males before he galloped away.
Gregory glowered at the flashing hooves as they retreated down the game trail.
“What was that all about?” Lillian asked with an arched brow.
“Male posturing,” Gregory answered honestly.
Anna cleared her throat. “Unicorn posturing? Alrighty. On that note…let’s get to work.”
Gregory nodded sharply, and Anna’s expression turned serious.
“The name of the game is to run through a simulated warzone and reach the extraction point 50 kilometers due north of here. All without getting detected.”
“Fifty kilometers? Are we running an Ironman?” Lillian asked.
“Not even close,” Anna laughed. “Think of this as a BFT.”
Lillian’s ears pinned to her mane and Gregory bumped her flank. A moment later, they relaxed, and she snorted with humor. “Let me guess. A BFT isn’t a sandwich. I’d be all kinds of down with a sandwich…”
“Gargoyles.” Anna rolled her eyes. “BFT…battle fitness test. Major Resnick wants to know exactly what you’re capable of.”
Shadowlight shoved his nose against Anna’s rucksack. “She does have food in here. I can smell it.”
“Rations are for later.” The human shooed the young gargoyle away. “If you care to know, you have Gran and Greenborrow’s input to thank for the length of the run. They said anything less would be an insult to a gargoyle’s speed and stamina. For the record, I’m totally going to have to ride some of the way. There’s no way I can keep up with you lot.”
Gregory dropped to all fours, stretching and limbering up for the run. “Gran and Greenborrow spoke the truth. Anything less would be an insult.”
“Well, you’re going to like the next part then, too. There are teams of humans with the prototype weapons all along the trail. To make things more interesting, Greenborrow ward-spelled some of their scopes as well. So don’t assume the human teams won’t be able to see past your shadow magic.”
“This hunt shall be fun,” Gregory rumbled happily.
Anna snorted. “If the enemy teams pinpoint our location, we have to try to neutralize the threat with nonlethal force before they tag us. Close combat will be hand to hand.”
“They aren’t using real bullets, are they?” Lillian asked, although her voice didn’t sound concerned, more curious.
“Of course not.” Anna paused again, her eyes tracking back to Gregory and then away to take in Shadowlight. “Nonlethal. No killing. No maiming. Understood?”
Gregory knew this, of course, but nodded agreement for Shadowlight’s benefit. The younger gargoyle was nearly vibrating with adrenaline.
“If all goes well with the newly warded prototype rifles, we’ll do further tests in the coming days.”
Again, Gregory nodded agreement. “Although this day is about more than testing the military’s new toys.”
With a huff of amusement, he waved at the three of them. “This is also a cub training session. The pooka has agreed to help train you.”
Having heard his name, the black pony darted between two trees and into view for a moment before vanishing back into the shadows.
“Magic,” Anna grunted sourly but merely folded her arms under her breasts. Lillian, on the other hand, looked somewhat eager.
“Once you have mastered shadow magic, your enemies will find you a difficult target to eradicate.” Gregory reached out and plucked a bit of lacy shadow where it had been cast upon the ground by the thick tree canopy high above. “Shadows can do far more than hide you from your enemies’ eyes.”
He indicated the seemingly harmless bit of shadow resting in his open palm and then shaped it into sharp little obsidian shards and flung them one at a time towards a tree trunk ten feet away.
The shadow shards found their mark and bit deep into the tree’s trunk, some sending pieces of bark flying.
Anna whistled low in her throat. “Totally badass. Didn’t know you could do that.”
Gregory’s ears flicked in her direction. “You will be able to do so as well, once trained. Although, I’m not sure if you’re far enough into your development to summon shadows yet. That’s what I hope to learn today.”
“Fun times.” Anna’s tone was humorous, but he scented her unease.
He couldn’t blame the human. She’d had a lot dumped on her in the last few days. Anna was doing admirably, considering.
“Like moonlight,” he continued to explain, “All shadows possess an innate bit of magic. With practice, you can make that magic resonate to your call, shaping it to your will. Once you’ve mastered that, you can feed your own magical strength into it, turning it into a far more deadly force.”
Shadowlight yawned, his earlier enthusiasm clearly waning. “But I already know all this. Can I go hunt with the pooka while you teach Lillian and Anna the beginnings?”
“Not so fast young one. All gargoyles are born with the knowledge of shadow magic, but it takes much practice to truly master it. Knowledge and experience are two very different things. One day your life may depend on your mastery of both.”
With a flick of his wrist and a simple mental command, ropes of shadows erupted from the ground at Shadowlight’s feet and coiled around his body. Before the younger gargoyle could summon his own magic to fight back, Gregory released him.
“You see?”
Shadowlight’s ears pinned to the sides of his head in embarrassment, but he nodded. “Yes. I want to be able to do that. Show me.”
“And so, I shall.”
It took the better part of two hours. When Gregory deemed them proficient in the most basic forms of shadow magic, he led them out into the forest to go play with the other humans.
Chapter 14
Anna silently led the way through the darkening forest. Throughout the day, Lillian and Shadowlight had alternated with her to take point. Gregory always stayed a bit behind to study them and force them to lead and adapt instead of relying on him.
As they navigated their way through the simulated warzone, Anna calculated that they had to be in the home stretch. It just depended on how many more enemy teams they encountered. Four hours of stomping through the bug-infested forest or bumping around on a gargoyle’s back was enough even for Anna. Surprisingly, once they’d started the hunt, as the gargoyles insisted on calling it, Lillian was as enthusiastic as the males.
Anna was presently leading their small group on foot since her poor tortured body couldn’t take anymore riding gargoyle-back at the moment. But even the gargoyles seemed thankful for the slower pace.
They’d managed to avoid detection for the most part. The two units who had detected them earlier in the day were swiftly neutralized by shadow magic. Anna secretly admitted she was pleased with her team’s performance.
The first team of soldiers had found themselves ensnared by ropes of Shadowlight’s magic that held them immobile until well after Anna’s group was long past. The second time they encountered a team of soldiers, a mass of tree roots had boiled up out of the ground and tripped up the soldiers. Later, Lillian had shrugged and said she had meant to summon shadows, but the tree roots had worked well enough.
As for herself, Anna learned she was capable of commanding shadow. She wasn’t sure if she should be elated or dismayed by her innate ability to summon the magic.
Still, it was a handy skill to have on a battlefield. Unfortunately, she was not at all certain she wanted to report all that she’d seen and learned in the short day.
Anna frowned at the bits of sky she could see through the tree canopy. By the light, and the lengthening shadows, the sun was already descending towards the horizon. Weariness was starting to encroach upon her consciousness.
Even the ever-energet
ic Shadowlight was showing signs of exhaustion. All in all, Anna was somewhat proud of her own performance. She had her teachers to thank for what she’d learned.
She glanced at the pooka. Yes, he was a yellow-eyed, evil-tempered little pony, but she couldn’t fault him for his skills as a teacher or a tracker. He spotted and corrected their every little mistake. The black-hearted little bastard would make Drill Sargent Chambers proud.
Gregory was no less alert. Or soft. Together they played bad cop and bad cop very well.
“Halt,” Gregory ordered.
Her training kicking in, she froze like she’d stepped on a mine. A large hand grabbed her arm and yanked her back.
A foot in front of her face a tree trunk exploded in a rain of bark and shredded wood fragments. The sound of rifle fire screamed through the forest.
“Live fire,” she screamed at the top of her lungs. What the fuck were they doing with live rounds?
Anna dove for the ground.
For less than a heartbeat, she thought it might have been a mistake. Then the forest erupted a second time. That was no mistake.
She cursed the fact she didn’t have any weapons. But it was a training session. She wasn’t supposed to need firearms. She didn’t even have her Browning, but she did have something else.
All around her the shadows began to reverberate.
The pooka was faster. He darted past her location, heading for the origin of the rifle fire. His black legs a blur, he raced full tilt towards the unseen enemy, only to veer to the left seconds later. He vanished behind a thicket with a neighed challenge.
Human screams rang out and then fell silent.
Anna scrambled for better cover and ducked down behind the massive trunk of an oak as more bullets streaked through the air where she’d just been crouching. Somewhere behind her a gargoyle grunted in pain, followed by a second deep snarl of rage.
“Shadowlight?” Anna kept her voice quiet and controlled, but fear for the youngling was pounding through her blood.
A second glance behind showed her that Gregory was the one who had roared in rage. He stood over Lillian. A vortex of shadows spun around him, protecting his mate from further damage.
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