“Second?”
“Second in Command,” Gregory clarified. “If fate had not intervened, Shadowlight would have grown up to lead the Battle Goddess’s armies, but he would also possess the ability to convert others and enslave them. Anna is already soul-bound to him. That bond will only grow stronger as he ages. Already her need to save him is affecting her thinking. It’s a mindless need to protect. One that I don’t know if Anna can fight.”
Lillian, still linked to Gregory’s thoughts, sorted through them for the one answer she still wanted.
If Anna couldn’t reach Shadowlight on her own, would she seek out someone else who could?
Gregory’s thoughts were darkening and becoming more upset, but he did share them. “There are very few beings with the strength to travel between the realms. Presently, there are only three here in the Mortal Realm—myself, my Sorceress, and Commander Gryton.”
Either Anna had gone hunting Gryton and had been captured and taken prisoner. Or Daryna had helped Anna reach the Magic Realm.
Daryna was a much better alternative to hope for than Gryton, but Lillian didn’t know what would have changed the Sorceress’s mind. She’d been most adamant that it was too dangerous for either herself or Gregory. If it was too hazardous to the Avatars, what possible chance did Anna have?
Resnick’s expression told them that Gregory’s comment had clarified some conclusion he’d already come to. “Then we can only assume she went after Commander Gryton and he was waiting for such a move and has already captured and transported her like the cub.”
“That is the greatest likelihood.” With a deeply unhappy growl, Gregory continued. “I will track Anna’s trail and get to the bottom of this. As soon as I know what is truly afoot, I will pass the information along to you.”
Major Resnick nodded sharply. “I’ll brief my superiors.”
After the military man had left with Gran in tow, Lillian turned to Gregory and asked the other question in her mind that he didn’t want to face.
“Do you know where Daryna is?”
“No,” Gregory said with horror and disbelief in his voice. “And I cannot sense her anywhere near. She has hidden her presence from me. But I will find her.”
And by his tone, Daryna was in for a world of trouble when he did.
“Then it’s possible she’s been working with Gryton all along. I’m coming with you.”
“No. The child. It’s too dangerous.”
“I’m pregnant. Not dying. And no, I don’t want to risk our child, but I must go. If Daryna has been playing with us all along,” which Lillian thought was entirely the truth, “then I can’t trust you to deal with her. I’ll make the hard decision. You can’t. Killing her would destroy a part of you.”
“Lillian,” Gregory said in a gruff voice edged with pain. “You are no match for her. Besides, we don’t know that she’s tainted. It’s possible that the amount of magic she’s called upon today has hastened her body’s degradation. Thus, her mind and judgment may be impaired. If so, I will do what I can to help heal the damage.”
“You don’t know that though.”
“No. That’s why you can’t come.”
“That’s why I am coming, you great overprotective idiot. I am the one being in all the realms she won’t kill. She needs my body, so the soul and power of the Mother’s Sorceress will have a home to return to. And she wants this child.” Lillian rested her hands on her belly. “She’s wanted to have your child for a very long time. Anyone can see that.”
Gregory glanced down at his talons. “And I have wanted to grant her that wish for many lifetimes. It has been my great, secret shame. Even the thought is a betrayal of my vows to the Divine Ones.”
“Gregory, they are the ones at fault. Wishing to have a child with the one you love should never be a sin.”
“A part of me agrees with you, but that changes nothing.”
“Fine. You’re unreasonable, but so too am I. This is the last time I say this. I am going. Now let’s go see what has become of Anna and if it’s Gryton or Daryna who is at fault.”
Gregory was slow to nod agreement, but eventually, he did. Smart male.
It wasn’t until he started for the door that she noticed that he was clothed, and his arm and wrist bands were back in place. However, she was still naked under her robe. “Hold up. I need to shift and then dress.”
He halted with his hand on the door but nodded and waited patiently for her to shapeshift into her gargoyle form and dress. Then, together, they headed down to the front drive where Resnick was waiting with a small convoy of armored vehicles.
Chapter 31
Gregory had allowed himself to be crammed into one of the vehicles with Lillian. There really wasn’t room for one gargoyle, let alone two. But Resnick had insisted. And he’d learned when to pick his battles in a long-ago lifetime.
They arrived at the military headquarters a short time later, and he and Lillian were escorted inside. Already, he’d caught a hint of Anna’s trail. Her scent was the same as he remembered. There was no hint of either Gryton or Daryna. So, Anna had been by herself, at least at this point.
Gregory continued deeper into the building where the weapons were stored just to be certain. But again, he found nothing unusual in her scent. He followed the trail back to the surface and on outside, north and west away from the military’s base.
Anna had continued out of town and into the forest. Resnick and his team were still following him, but they were having a more difficult time in the forest.
Gregory continued at a fast run. About twenty minutes outside of town, he found a clearing in the forest where a great weaving had been created.
The spell had already unraveled, the energy dissipating back into the surrounding land. But he would recognize the essence of that power anywhere. It was the match to his own.
“Daryna was here a short time ago. Maybe four hours ago at most. This was a spell woven with the purpose of transporting Anna to the Magic Realm. I can see that much from what remains of the spell.”
“It was not Gryton then?”
Gregory felt his ears pin to his head and his wings clamp tight to his back. “I wouldn’t be so sure. Afterward, Daryna traveled from this location to another north of here.”
Lillian’s expression and body language mirrored his own, and he knew that as much as she didn’t like Daryna, she’d truly hoped for his sake her suspicions were wrong.
“Do we follow? Or do you want to gather more of our Fae allies?” Lillian asked.
“We’ll go alone. There’s nothing the Fae can do that won’t get them killed.”
Looking uncertain, Lillian nodded.
Gregory wrapped one wing around her shoulders. “I must first prepare some battle spells. It would be better here than later when danger might be coming at us from an unknown direction. We do not yet know for certain if Gryton is involved with this, but I can’t rule out that he somehow enslaved Daryna.”
Even as he said the words, he didn’t know how they could be true. Daryna was too powerful to be enslaved by one such as Gryton.
∞∞∞
After Gregory had woven several spells of protection to cocoon her body in an invisible force, Lillian had sat a little way away with her tail curled around her legs and her wings folded tight to her back while Gregory finished preparing other, deadlier spells. When he at last called her back to his side, she went. Together, they would face whatever they would find on the other side of the portal. She passed through the portal spell and experienced the strange sensation of having the ground shift underneath her feet. After a few queasy seconds, Lillian found herself in an unknown forest. The trees here were different. When Lillian started forward, Gregory forestalled her.
“Traps.”
Lillian nodded in understanding. Her dryad blood tuned into the trees around her and she realized they were whispering to her. They spoke of a hard-minded fire elemental who had bled upon the ground and burned their roots with hi
s heat.
‘Gryton is here,’ Lillian whispered into Gregory’s mind.
‘I know. I can smell his blood, but not sense him at all. The Mother’s Sorceress has been weaving a spell of protection around him.’
Lillian was still mulling over that bit of news when Gregory pointed out a narrow crevice in the bedrock wall that rose up out of the ground in front of them. The land here was rockier, the bones of the earth showing through more readily.
Venturing into a cave was always a bad idea as far as Lillian was concerned.
As he moved slowly forward, Lillian followed, her swords held at the ready. She could feel where Gregory’s spells of protection hummed along her body, tingling with an unpleasant itch. However, the mild discomfort was well worth it if those same spells could protect her and her child from danger. While she knew she had to be here—that knowledge anchored deep in her being—that didn’t mean she wanted to go into that cave.
But she entered anyway, ducking to avoid scraping her horns on the low ceiling. Ahead, she could see the dim flickering of fire against the tunnel walls.
Had she not been so focused on the dangers of the traps and what other surprises might be waiting for them in the cave, she would have registered the scent of a campfire much sooner.
Someone planned to be here for a while if they’d gone to the trouble of building a fire.
The narrow tunnel they were following opened into a vast cavern, and Gregory straightened to his full height.
“Hello, my protector.” Daryna’s voice was all calm confidence as usual.
But Gregory’s menacing growl spurred Lillian into pushing past the barrier of his wings. On the opposite side of the campfire, Daryna stood with one hand wrapped around Commander Gryton’s arm as if physically holding him in place.
Lillian wasn’t sure what she found more stunning—that Daryna could hold Gryton against his will or that Tin Man hadn’t launched an attack yet.
“Gregory, wait,” Daryna said, her tone beseeching him to listen. “It’s not what it looks like. I haven’t turned traitor. There are things you do not know. Critical information that will fill in so many blanks.”
Daryna’s rushed plea did nothing to sway Gregory’s actions, though. Lillian could feel the cold, destructive magic flowing from the Spirit Realm, building within him as he readied to unleash the battle spells he’d forged earlier.
“I understand well enough.” He released the first wave of power.
It raced across the length of the cavern to slam into a shield that encircled Daryna and Gryton. That didn’t deter Gregory in the slightest, and he launched another blast of power upon them.
Again and again, he struck, the magic swirling in wild currents around the cave. It beat at the walls, floor, and ceiling, seeking a way free. But it seemed unable to escape past Gregory’s wings where he blocked the entrance.
“Gregory, stop,” Daryna ordered. “I command you.”
“You are not my Sorceress. Shout all you want. I’ll not obey this time.” His voice dropped to a growl.
“Let me fight,” Gryton yelled at Daryna. “Or your gargoyle half is going to kill me long before he listens to you.”
Daryna shook her head stubbornly. “No! Gregory listen. Gryton is needed. He is important. With his help, we can overthrow the Battle Goddess.”
“You are delusional,” Gregory hissed.
Daryna raised her hand higher, bracing herself as Gregory tossed more power at her. “My gargoyle, don’t make me hurt you.”
Gregory snorted. “Surrender and let me deal with Gryton and then we will talk. You are either tainted, influenced by him, or your judgment is impaired because of damage to your mind and body.”
“It’s not any of those reasons. Let me explain.”
Gregory snarled. “You can explain after I’ve killed Gryton.”
Lillian’s lungs strained to draw in air as the pressure continued to build within the cavern. Knowing the danger of a collapse was a very real possibility, Lillian whispered in Gregory’s mind. ‘You’re going to bury all of us under a few tons of rock if you keep this up.’
‘At least they’d be trapped.’
‘Did you miss the ‘us’ part?’
Huffing, he tilted his head enough to meet her gaze. ‘I have reinforced our escape route; however, Daryna and Gryton will not be so lucky.’
Lillian studied Gryton and Daryna with some misgiving. Gryton wasn’t fighting. Perhaps the Mother’s Sorceress did know something Gregory didn’t. And hadn’t the original plan been to trap and milk Gryton for information, so they could use him to help free Shadowlight?
Well, Gryton was right there. Cornered, if not yet captured.
As if sensing her regard, he shifted his gaze to study her.
He raised his visor, and she met his dark, almond-shaped eyes. They were familiar. It took her a moment and then she had it. His intense brown eyes reminded her of Gregory’s when he was in his human form.
Above their heads, sharp snaps echoed from the tortured ceiling. A wide crack now stretched across the rocky surface. A second fissure opening made Lillian’s sensitive ears quiver. A moment later, half the ceiling was falling towards Daryna.
Gryton reacted faster, throwing himself over Daryna, shielding her smaller body from the pieces his power failed to vaporize in time. The cavern filled with a potent mix of dust, steam, and heat.
Even the added protections Gregory had woven around Lillian didn’t block it all.
Coughing, she backed out of the tunnel and into fresh air. Once she had her breath back, she stooped down to go back in. Before she’d made it a step, an explosive shockwave raced outward from somewhere deep in the cave.
Gregory was tossed free of the tunnel and rolled a couple times before he sprang back to his feet. Gryton was the next out of the tunnel, Daryna close at his heels. However, the Sorceress wasn’t fast enough to catch the Commander.
“You will not harm my mother!”
The bellowed words shocked Lillian. And apparently Gregory, too. He’d been in a threatening crouch, about to launch another attack, but Gryton’s words had the big gargoyle slowly standing up.
While his magic was still raging around him, he looked beyond his opponent to meet Daryna’s eyes.
“You must not harm Gryton,” Daryna screamed, calling more of her own magic.
Gryton didn’t seem to have the same concerns for Gregory and drew his sword. Swinging it in a wide arc, he aimed for the gargoyle’s abdomen.
Gregory held out a hand, one that glowed brightly with power. Gryton’s strike was deflected, but the armor-clad warrior recovered quickly. Dancing out of the range of Gregory’s counterattack, Gryton moved to strike again.
Lillian was still struck on Gryton’s earlier cry.
Mother?
His familiar eyes.
Gregory’s eyes.
Oh, God.
It was impossible. Yet when she glanced at Daryna, she knew.
Their soul link flared to life and the other woman’s thoughts were suddenly in Lillian’s mind. Gryton is ours. The first born between us.’
Gregory was the father. Daryna was the mother. That could only mean in some past life they had broken their most sacred vows.
Here was a monster that the Avatars had birthed into the universe against Divine will.
But why didn’t Gregory remember?
Gryton came at Gregory again. The gargoyle snapped out a hand and closed his fingers around the shorter male’s throat, his talons digging in. He hoisted Gryton off the ground and then reached out with his other hand and pried Gryton’s helmet from his head. Gregory’s muzzle dipped closer and dragged in a deep lungful of air.
His expression shifting between shock and disbelief, he just stood there holding Gryton off the ground. The other male twisted and freed a knife from a sheath at his waist and lashed out, aiming for a soft target.
Gregory blocked the strike and shook the other male like he was a dusty rag. However, the gar
goyle had not killed the other male yet, so clearly, he was uncertain.
Hell, Lillian was uncertain, too.
Was Gryton really their son? One raised by the Battle Goddess?
Gryton must’ve sensed Gregory’s reluctance as well, for he struck with his knife again. This time finding flesh. It was a demon blade, Lillian realized.
With a snarl of pain, Gregory jerked the blade from his bicep and called more spirit magic. The demon blade loosed a screech and then vaporized a moment later. The distraction had been enough to allow Gryton to gain his freedom.
Gregory called more power. Was that added strength intended for capturing or killing Gryton, Lillian wondered?
Daryna must have had similar doubts, for a great weaving began to form in the air directly in front of her. By the intensity of the bright coloration flickering at its core Lillian knew it was going to be big and badass. One capable of doing severe damage to its target.
“Stop.” At her shout three pairs of eyes locked on her.
Lillian squared her shoulders, drew in a deep breath, and then stalked forward until she was standing in the center of a triangle, each opponent making one of the points.
“We need to talk this out.”
When no one responded, Lillian tried a different tactic. “All the realms lose if the Avatars go to war against each other.”
That got a grunt from Gregory, and after a moment, Daryna closed her hand on her own spell.
Two down.
Lillian looked to Gryton next. He was standing slightly further away than the other two, but Lillian could still easily feel his potent magic.
She studied him unhappily. While he might be her son, he was also a mass murderer. But even so, she did not want to see him killed by Gregory. She told herself it was because she didn’t want Gregory to suffer from the knowledge that he’d killed his own son.
“Daryna, you said Gryton is our son—that’s why you stopped me from killing him back in the glade when you were still a hamadryad and I had him under my sword. I understand now why you did what you did. But it doesn’t make it right.”
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