However, she’d learned to differentiate them by how they carried themselves. The Sorceress moved with superhuman grace; Lillian moved like your average human being.
When the woman finally walked into Anna’s line of sight, she knew this was the powerful sorceress.
“Daryna.” The one word came out almost a growl. Anna wasn’t in the mood for company tonight.
“That’s no way to greet the person who is about to help you rescue Shadowlight.” The Sorceress halted before her, looking calm and confident as always. Anna scanned the area a second time, hunting for Gregory in the deepest shadows where the moonlight didn’t penetrate the forest canopy. But there was no sign of the male demigod.
“I came alone,” Daryna said as she held out a large rucksack that looked like it had been stolen from supplies.
Anna was more interested in what the other woman had said about Shadowlight and rescue than the rucksack’s origin.
“How are you going to help me rescue Shadowlight? Did you and Gregory change your minds?”
“Come.” Daryna gestured to a recently fallen tree some twenty meters away. “What I have planned will take some explanation.”
Anna wanted to get to the meat of the matter. Circling around a subject always drove her nuts. And tonight, she was already too much on edge, but she stomped over to the tree in question and thumped her ass down upon it without uttering one damn word.
Daryna settled on the tree a good two feet away and brushed her hands along the tree’s bark. “This one was far too young to fall. She was destroyed from within by a boring insect that caused rot to set in.” Daryna paused and glanced sideways to meet Anna’s gaze.
It took some fortitude to hold her gaze, but Anna did it.
To her surprise, Daryna looked away first and then said in a soft voice. “I can’t sit by and watch the equivalent happen to Shadowlight.”
There was guilt in her tone. Did the great demigod feel responsible for what happened to Shadowlight? Well, good, she should. They’d all failed the kid.
“You’re going to go after him,” Anna stated bluntly.
“Gregory would follow if I did. Also, this body is only temporary. It wouldn’t withstand the force of magic that I’d be required to call upon to fight the Battle Goddess and rescue Shadowlight. And I can’t tell you how bad it would be for this body to expire within the Goddess’s domain where she could recapture my soul and force it to be reborn into another body of her choosing. Yet, I also fear Shadowlight might not be able to wait for Gregory.
“Then what do you have in mind?” Even as Anna said the words, an inkling came to her.
“Sometimes it is better to send one spy into enemy territory rather than an entire army.”
Anna would go in a heartbeat, but she wasn’t at all certain of her ability to get herself and Shadowlight free of the place. She would try. “Of course, I’ll go. But I will need supplies.”
Daryna patted the rucksack she’d brought with her. “There is food, water, spare clothing, and blankets. You must get yourself weapons as I am unfamiliar with them. But I will create a map for you from my childhood memories. The basic structure and layout will be much the same but be aware whatever I draw will be twelve years out-of-date.”
“It will do,” Anna said, as new purpose filled her blood and enlivened her senses. “You could draw me a map in the dirt, and I still would agree to go for a chance to save Shadowlight.”
“Oh. There is a catch, I’m afraid.” Daryna reached into her pack and rummaged around until she pulled out first one medallion and then a second and held them out.
With a questioning look, Anna took the offered objects and studied them both. She wasn’t well-versed in magic, but she recognized power when she felt it. These were no mere ornaments.
“Locating Shadowlight within the Battle Goddess’s temple will not be easy. Freeing him will be harder. And getting free again—I think you know the odds won’t be in your favor.”
“I don’t care. I’ll go. I’ll do it and free Shadowlight or die trying.”
“I can send you into the Magic Realm, and if your mission is successful, these medallions will allow you and Shadowlight to return here.”
Anna turned the medallions this way and that. “How do these work?”
“They’re really rather simple. You just smear a bit of blood on them to trigger the spell. They are actually keyed to Shadowlight’s blood, but you now share some of that same blood, so the spell will recognize you as well.”
Anna glanced down at them again. “That’s it? Just bleed on them?”
“Yes. It will trigger the spell and transport you back to the Mortal Realm immediately.”
“Got it.” More weird shit, but she understood.
“I fear rescuing Shadowlight will not be easy. He will be under heavy guard.” Daryna folded her fingers together and laid them in her lap. “Those guardians will be highly trained with as many well-developed senses as you now possess.”
“Understood.”
“There is one other thing. If it looks like you are about to be captured or you somehow lose the medallions before you get to Shadowlight, you still have another escape.”
Great, more cryptic crap.
Daryna continued like she was unaware of Anna’s impatience. “All gargoyles belong to the Lord of the Underworld. In a moment of desperate need, even you will be able to find your way to his temple.”
“Not that I want to find myself there, but I’m a firm believer in having all scenarios thoroughly planned out. Is there a map to his realm?”
“The gateway is one found in your mind. Reach out to Lord Death and he will answer.”
“Hmmm. Yep. Okay.” Totally get in and get out without being discovered. Run like hell and then use the medallions.
Daryna’s expression took on that distant look again. “There isn’t much time. If we are going to do this, it needs to be now while Gregory is distracted attending to Lillian.”
“I’ll need some things first,” Anna said, already building a supplies list in her mind.
“Take these.”
Anna held out her hand and looked at what appeared to be flat discs of softened candle wax.
“Rub your fingers in this and then find a bit of exposed skin on your target and they will be unconscious before they hit the ground.
Anna glanced up at Daryna skeptically. “It won’t affect me?”
“No. It will only affect those who don’t share your genetic heritage.”
“Hmmm. DNA targeted magic.”
Daryna stood and walked forward until she was directly in front of Anna. “I have one other gift for you.”
Anna was all ears but was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“I can make you stronger and faster than you are now. Far more lethal should you find yourself in a battle with magic-wielding opponents. But I can only do this by accelerating your gargoyle metamorphosis.”
A spike of adrenaline coursed through her blood and sent her heart pounding. Sure, she’d do anything to save the kid, but become the full package? She’d never get to live a normal life again. Oh, she knew it wasn’t likely as it was, but full gargoyle? Any hope of a normal life would be gone.
If she didn’t, her chances of rescuing Shadowlight were less. And she knew she would need every advantage once behind enemy lines.
She fisted her hands but met Daryna’s gaze. “Fine. Do what you have to.”
“Good. The process will still take some time before you complete your transformation; a few months, instead of a few years. However, within hours you’ll have increased stamina and heightened senses and resistance to magic, among other advantages.”
Anna nodded at the other woman’s words. “So, I’ll be a gargoyle sooner or later. Might as well be sooner, then.”
With a nod, Daryna rested her hands on Anna's shoulders. A power that managed to be both hot and cold at the same time raced over her body, and if she’d been standing, she would have been dro
pped to her knees.
Nice gift, Anna thought as darkness flirted at the edges of her vision.
After what felt like half an eternity, Daryna lifted her hands away. Anna slumped sideways but managed to keep herself on the tree trunk. Her sight slowly returned and so too did her strength. All-in-all, she’d didn’t feel as bad as she thought.
“Go,” Daryna said. “I’ve done what I can to strengthen you for this task. Gather what weapons you think you will need and meet me back here in an hour. The transportation portal spell will be ready.”
Anna nodded and then forced herself up off the tree trunk. Her first few steps were ungainly, but after a dozen, her body remembered how to run. Twenty steps after that, a new strength awoke within her body.
Chapter 27
Back at HQ, Anna darted through the temporary military base, her passage unseen. Shadow magic flickered around her form. Thanks to Gregory’s training lessons, she’d mastered the concealment spell enough to fool the humans and Fae she passed. And thanks to Daryna’s help, Anna was now stronger in both body and magic.
She’d covered the ground between here and where the Sorceress waited in under eight minutes, an unheard-of record time for her.
Although her new magic wasn’t quite so advanced in comparison. An earlier near-miss with a dire wolf out hunting in the forest had proved that her mastery of shadow magic wasn’t yet good enough to hide her scent.
That wasn’t a concern with humans. But some members of the Fae, like a dire wolf, unicorn, or pooka possessed a more advanced sense of smell. So, she went to some trouble to avoid those particular species.
It made her task harder but was also a good test considering her ultimate goal was to invade the domain of the Battle Goddess.
Getting over the fence and into headquarters was easy. Getting into the buildings—not so much. She had to wait for personnel to enter the building she wanted. This time her target was a repurposed high school. It was summer, and the military had taken over this building since it was located in close proximity to the community center.
Thankfully the scientists were working in shifts or pulling all-nighters. It wasn’t terribly long before one of the scientists exited the building for a smoke break.
She walked between the sentinels on watch and slipped through the door before it closed. Inside, she stepped with care, not wanting her footfalls to give her presence away.
Making her slow, careful way past the soldiers stationed at the entrance, she traveled deeper into the building, down two flights of stairs and along the darkened hall and past the labs. She paused and peered in a small window. Inside the classroom that had once been one of the high school’s labs, lights were still on and a few whitecoats moved around.
Anna stepped away from the door and continued down the hall. The next room was where the day’s batch of ward-spelled prototype weapons were stored before being field-tested. Once that was done, they’d be moved to the armory.
There were too many eyes on the armory to get inside easily, so she’d hoped that this room would be an easier target. Which it was, but there were still problems. Like the three soldiers on guard duty, she’d already walked past in the hall.
Getting her ass riddled with bullets wouldn’t help Shadowlight one bit. With a glower at the nearest guard, Anna moved away from the door she wanted and headed to the end of the hall. Glancing down its length, she took in the scene.
Yep. More guards like she’d expected.
She studied them a moment, and when one turned his back and started to walk away from his buddy, Anna summoned her shadow magic and sent it out to surround him. After casting a quick glance over her shoulder and noting the other soldier was still walking in the opposite direction, Anna reached out to her target and pressed her fingers against his hand.
He jerked at the touch but dropped like a sack of bricks the next moment. She eased him to the ground and glanced up at the other target.
The second soldier turned back in her direction and was scanning the area where his buddy should have been.
“Hendricks. Peterson. Come in.”
“Peterson here.”
“Vickers with you?”
“Nope.”
“Then we have a problem.” His gun pointed unwaveringly at the spot Anna had just been.
She continued towards the next target as he scanned the hall. When she was even with him, she brushed her fingers along his jaw. It was the easiest bit of exposed skin to make contact with.
Like the first soldier, this one’s eyes rolled back in his head and he went limp. She lowered him to the ground and returned to the north corridor.
The other two soldiers each felt the briefest ghostly touch and then they too were no longer a problem.
Anna returned to the door she needed and reached for the handle. It was locked which wasn’t a surprise. Nor was it a problem for her increased gargoyle strength and her shadow magic.
Her magic flowed inside the lock and hardened into tiny shards of darkness which expanded within the lock mechanism. With a sharp cracking sound and the crunch of metal, the knob came off in her hand. With a bit more wiggling, the locking mechanism inside suffered a similar fate.
She stepped inside the room and saw what she needed stacked up in their storage racks.
Jackpot.
Chapter 28
Anna was exiting the building just as Major Resnick entered, trailed by an entourage. Seeing Resnick caused a stab of pain to twist deep in her guts. He’d be disappointed in her, which would hurt worse than the court-martial she knew was coming her way if she survived her self-appointed mission.
Resnick and her father were friends. She’d known him since she was a kid. Hell, he was like an uncle to her. Disappointing him was going to be far worse than the court-martial, but it couldn’t be helped. Not this time.
Squaring her shoulders, she waited for Resnick and the others to file past before she darted through the closing door and out into the night. Once she was free of the base, and no longer had to be as careful of her passage, she hauled ass back to where Daryna had said to meet.
Daryna had told Anna she had an hour to gather what she would need. She’d made it back with eleven minutes to spare. Daryna was already there and waiting.
So far, so good. While Anna wasn’t certain of the other woman’s real motives, she didn’t have the luxury to care. Rescuing Shadowlight came first.
While she sprinted up to the spot where Daryna was working, Anna studied the area. It was greatly changed. Daryna had been busy as promised and was presently finishing up some fancy-looking spell.
To Anna’s enhanced gargoyle vision, the twenty-foot circle that surrounded Daryna glowed a bluish white. It was so bright it destroyed Anna’s night vision, and she had to blink away the phantom lines and spots from her vision.
“Good, you’re back. I’m just finishing the last layer of the portal spell.” Daryna painted two more symbols in the air with precise gestures of her hands.
After another buzzing wave of magic tingled along Anna’s skin, Daryna rotated the symbols until they were hovering parallel to the ground. With a gentle push, she sent the last two symbols floating down to join the rest of the circle. Like pieces of a puzzle, they snapped into place and the entire circle glowed even brighter.
“It’s ready. Come.”
Anna hesitated a moment, not wanting to come so close to the vast power she felt throbbing in the glowing lines of the spell. The magic felt wild and pent-up, ready to lash out at anyone foolish enough to set order to its chaos.
After eyeing the spell for a moment more, she stepped over the first bright line.
Inside several more symbols glowed white with their own power. Again she hesitated, but not because she was scared. She just didn’t want to screw the spell up and waste time while it was fixed.
“You can walk through the magic without harm,” Daryna said as she tweaked one of the symbols.
Anna shrugged and marched straight to the cen
ter of the circle. She already had all her gear packed away. She’d even taken a tranquilizer rifle. It wouldn’t do any good against armor-clad enemies, but she hoped that within the heart of the Battle Goddess’s domain, not everyone she encountered would be dressed in full body armor. She’d also brought three of the spell-warded rifles and enough ammo for a small siege, just in case they were fanatical enough to go in full body armor all the time.
“My spell will deliver you deep inside the Battle Goddess’s territory. I designed it to have a minimal disturbance on the flows of magic in the surrounding area. So, the spell won’t betray your location, but that doesn’t mean your arrival won’t be witnessed.” Daryna shrugged in an offhanded way.
“I might pop into existence in front of a hostile. Better have my shit together. Got it. What else can I expect?”
“I’ve created the promised map in more detail.”
Daryna held out the nondescript brown tube. Anna pulled off one end and tipped out the map. When she unrolled it, she found a hand drawn map or one created by magic. The parchment might have been honest-to-God animal skin.
But the map was legible with what look like mountains, valleys, lakes and rivers marked out upon it.
“If something happens to the medallions, but you’re not so desperate as to seek out Lord Death, show Shadowlight this map. He will be able to use his father’s memories and this map to lead you safely into the neighboring kingdom of Falconsmead. It’s a land ruled by Whitethorn’s distant kin.” Daryna paused and glanced north as if there was something there drawing away her attention.
With a shake of her head, she continued. “A warning though, they are not friendly to those who serve the Battle Goddess. Though, they do respect gargoyles. While sidhe of the Magic Realm will be suspicious of you, they will not kill you outright. But there are pookas that hunt the lands between the two kingdoms. Beware to avoid their notice.”
Ah, fantasyland just sounded so delightful. “Eh, yeah. But either you, Lillian or Gregory will come for Shadowlight and I eventually, right?”
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