Sorceress Hunting (A Gargoyle and Sorceress Tale Book 3) (14 page)

Lillian trudged up the stairs to her bedroom with all
the zeal of a dog going to visit the vet. She hurt everywhere. She hurt in
places she didn’t even know existed, but they were letting her know of their
existence now.

Gregory looked equally worn. He doggedly took the
steps one at a time, without his usual spring powering him up the stairs like
he didn’t know what gravity was.

They’d flown Whitethorn and Goswin to safety, and at
the time she’d been so full of adrenaline an armored vehicle could have
broadsided her and she would not have noticed. Now, a half hour after their
flight, she was noticing just what prolonged flight did to the body. The
thought of a hot bath was the only thing keeping her going.

It certainly wasn’t the scent of food Gregory had
taken from the kitchen as they made their way through. Actually, the smell of
food was tying her stomach in knots.

She wondered if she was coming down with
something—though that was unlikely. She’d never been sick a day in her life.
Probably protected from common germs by her kick-ass gargoyle immune system.
She’d never thought to ask Gregory if gargoyles could catch diseases.

It was on the tip of her tongue to ask when she
stopped dead in her tracks.

No. Not possible.

Her stomach plummeted, and her heart lurched like
she’d been kicked in the chest.

It couldn’t be. No.

Oh god, with her spectacular luck, it was entirely
possible.

Wasn’t that why she’d gotten all the damned pregnancy
tests?

It was too soon. It had been, what, three days?

Yes, entirely too soon to be having morning sickness.
She was probably just feeling sick from extreme exhaustion.

Placing one foot ahead of the other, she continued to
follow Gregory up the stairs. A long hot bath would help soothe her aching
muscles, and then she’d pee on a stick to help sooth her racing mind. Or, at
the very least, she could establish some kind of a baseline to compare weekly
samples against.

If it had been possible, she would have preferred to
confide in someone who might know more, someone like her mother perhaps.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t do that without it getting back to Gregory.
Besides, somewhere deep inside she was still uncomfortable with the idea of
talking to her mother.

Oh hell, what a messed up week it had been.

Lillian arrived in her bedroom and made for the
bathroom and then slapped her hand up to forestall Gregory from entering.
“Nothing in the bathroom is going to eat me. I don’t need accompaniment while I
pee.” She patted him on the chest to soften the blow. She had slapped with a
touch more force than intended. “I’m going to draw a hot bath, and then you can
have the shower.” She smiled. “Or you can share the bath.”

She stood on her tiptoes and stretched as far as she
could to place a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll let you decide.”

She closed the door on his face. When it became
apparent he was going to give her a few minutes, she flew over to the vanity
where she’d hidden the test kits. She grabbed the first box her questing hand
found and read the instructions.

*****

She ran the bath while she waited for the results,
refusing to look at it, even avoiding looking in that direction. What she
couldn’t do was stop herself from glancing at her watch and pacing.

Gregory was going to get suspicious if he heard her
pacing. She forced herself to stop. Then she hurried over to the vanity,
grabbed the pregnancy test and shoved it behind some of the candles she had
spaced around the big bathtub. She turned the jets on and added a touch of her favorite
bubble bath.

No point in making him suspicious. At her soft call,
he joined her before the tub. One wing folded down around her a moment before
his arm pulled her against his side.

“I did not like taking you into danger.”

“We pulled it off. No one was injured,” she said and
then wrinkled her nose. “Is that helicopter fuel? Don’t go near the candles!
Get your butt in the shower before we have a gargoyle bomb fire.”

She shooed Gregory toward the shower, and he went
willingly enough. While he was adjusting the shower, she stripped and stepped
into the tub.

Ah, wonderful heat.

When she was certain Gregory was busy with his own
shower, she glanced at her watch she’d left near the candles. It was time.

After another glance in Gregory’s direction, she
dragged the test stick out of hiding. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at
it.

Purple. The entire test area was one big purple blob.
She looked closer. No little lines like the instructions showed. Just one big
purple patch.

Purple. What the fuck did purple mean?

Anna gave the fire another poke, not because she was
cold but because she was bored out of her mind. So bored in fact, she’d gone
straight to frustrated, which was probably why she couldn’t sleep.

Being annoyed out of one’s mind didn’t allow for a
person to reach the level of calmness which might morph into sleep. Physical
exhaustion, her other go-to cure for insomnia was out of the question as well.
Being trapped inside a clear energy dome, or magic fairy ring, or whatever the
fuck else you wanted to call it, didn’t allow for a lot in way of physical
diversions either. Unless one counted pacing as exercise, which it wasn’t.

She’d give almost anything to go run a tour right
about now.

A rustle in the forest south-east of her position
snapped her out of her pout and she tensed. Her ears strained to hear, but even
that newly sharpened sense couldn’t pick out anything over the breeze whirling
among the trees. Unfortunately, her eyes were still blinded from staring into
the fire.

Of all the dumbass things to do, she knew better than
to half blind herself by looking directly at the fire.

She bit back the knee-jerk reaction to call out, even
though Shadowlight had promised to return later. Well, it was way past later
and now he was just plain late. Middle-of-the-bloody- night late.

She frowned as she scanned the surrounding forest.
Nothing moved. All was silent.

It was high time for a change of scenery.

Too many more nights in a forest feeling exposed to
invisible eyes and she’d need to see the shrink. Damn it, she was better
trained than this. No more losing her shit over something no more dangerous
than an opossum.

She was just turning back toward the campfire when its
light caught and reflected off of something dark and shiny at the tips of her
fingers. Staring down, unable to look away, she slowly returned to the fire
where the light revealed with clarity what her brain hadn’t wanted to
acknowledge.

“Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”

Yes, those were inch-long, black talons on the end of
each finger.

“Magical mental link my ass!”

The kid had some serious explaining to do.

*****

A soft scuff and a crackle of dried leaves had Anna
bolting upright, nearly stumbling into the fire in her haste to stand.

“Easy, it is only me,” said a familiar voice.

She scanned the shadows looking for the young gargoyle
but couldn’t spot him. She could, however, sense him.

“Ah ha! There you are. Next time speak up before you
scare three years off my life.”

“How is it my fault if you fell asleep?”

“It just is. It’s one of the fundamental laws of
existence. Get used to it.”

“Ah,” he said as he became visible a second after he’d
crossed the protective dome barrier. “I brought the supplies you requested.
Soap. Clean clothes. A few other items I found in my sister’s bathroom. I don’t
know what they all are for, but you’re both female.”

He left it at that, like he’d just explained one of
the mysteries of the universe.

At the moment, he could have called her a female ape
for all she cared. She pounced on the bag of supplies and rummaged through it
as she backed toward her favorite ‘chair’, one of the larger branches of the
fallen tree that made up her shelter.

“I’ll go hunt us up something to eat,” he said. She
detected a note of amusement in his voice.

Great. A kid was laughing at her eagerness. Oh well.
Upending the sac, she found what she’d most hoped to find. Toothpaste. There
was even two unopened toothbrushes.

Who actually had a stockpile of toothbrushes just
laying around?

“They are from the spa,” Shadowlight explained. “When
I couldn’t find doubles in my sister’s possessions, I borrowed from the
building complex they call a spa.”

“You really were just born three days ago, weren’t
you?”

“Yes,” he said and turned away, more interested in
finding food than talking, obviously.

“Rabbits,” she shouted at his retreating form. “Not
squirrels again. Then we are going to talk! About these!”

He half turned to look back over his left wing and
shoulder. She raised her hand and flashed her shiny new talons. The kid looked
sheepish for a moment and then fled into the forest.

When she was certain he was gone, she gathered her new
things and walked to the area where a small stream flowed under the energy
dome. She’d already investigated the area which allowed the water to flow under
or through it—she wasn’t really sure which, as she’d gotten a good zap for her
troubles and decided it didn’t matter. There was no way she could wiggle under
it. The stream was too shallow, only a couple inches of water flowing over a
rocky stream bed.

Three feet in from the edge, the stream flowed into a
little dip in the terrain. It wasn’t deep enough to bathe in, but she used if
for washing. It was cold, but now that she had soap and clean clothing,
temperature seemed like a minor inconvenience.

*****

Shadowlight padded through the forest on two legs
instead of the preferred four. This way he figured it would take longer to get
back. Besides, he’d forgotten to take the sack with him and the three rabbits
he’d caught were easier to hold in his hands than his mouth.

Bi-pedal locomotion had a few advantages.

Ducking under a particularly low evergreen bough, he
cleared it and spotted the shimmer of the dome ahead. He strained his ears but
didn’t hear any sounds of splashing water, so deemed it safe to return.

The human sat next to the fire as she worked on her
damp hair. It was longer than he’d thought, about midway down her back. She was
the first human he’d seen with a proper mane.

Earlier, she’d had it fashioned into some kind of tiny
braids that marched down her scalp, with the entire mass gathered at the back
of her head where the braids were fixed to themselves in a complex pattern
which mystified him. She’d somehow managed to fit all that under her helmet.

He was surprised she hadn’t just cut it all off like
most other soldiers he’d seen.

“Ha! Picked that one up,” she crowed. “The thought
leaking thing is a two-way street, my friend. No way am I cutting all my hair
off. It’s the one damn vanity I’m still allowed.”

Slightly taken aback by the fact she was able to pick
up on his thoughts, he froze halfway to her side. His blood was still making
changes to her.

“Nice rabbits,” she said in her usual droll tone.
“Bring them here and we can get them cooking. I’m not going to get any less
hungry while I wait.”

He hesitated a moment longer, and then brought his
kills over for her to spit. She seemed to know how to manage a cooking fire, so
he left her to it.

She glanced his way. “You any good at foraging? You
know, fruits and berries that won’t make either of us sick?”

“Maybe I can help,” came a voice from somewhere behind
Shadowlight’s left shoulder.

He felt his stomach physically lurch with fear as he
spun around to face Greenborrow. The leshii stood watching them from his
position outside the dome. The dark frown, which had replaced his usual jovial
expression promised trouble for Shadowlight’s newest friend.

How had the leshii found him? He’d taken extra
precautions always to hide his trail when he came to visit his human friend.

Actually, it didn’t matter how the other had found
him, he’d just have to fix this new development.

“I can explain,” he said by way of introduction.

Greenborrow snorted and leveled him with an intense
look. “I highly doubt you have enough words in your vocabulary to explain
this….situation to my satisfaction. However, it will surely be entertaining to
let you try, so go ahead.”

*****

Anna eyed the newcomer, knowing her continued
existence was about to come into question again. While the newcomer, with his
baggy clothes, bare feet and wild hair didn’t look formidable, one of her
freaky new senses picked up on something and warned her.

Yeah. This one fell into the category of ‘scary
dangerous’ and it had nothing to do with his appearance.

Well, as she saw it, she’d won over the gargoyle, now
she’d just have to gain this one’s trust. She didn’t fool herself. If she
failed, she was dead.

No pressure.

She stood and strolled over to the stranger and held
out her hand. “Name’s Corporal Anna Mackenzie. Shadowlight filled me in on the
basics. By his response, you’re either Clan or Coven and likely here to finish
what the Riven started. If I’m allowed input in the outcome, I’d prefer a clean
death.”

Shadowlight made an alarmed whimper but she continued
to stare at the wild man with her hand outstretched.

He held his stony expression for a moment more and
then burst out with a great robust belly laugh, which sent more than one bird
winging for safer locales.

He clapped both his hands around her outstretched one,
giving it a hardy pump before releasing it.

“And mine’s Greenborrow,” he managed between bouts of
laughter. “If your death is required, I promise I’ll try to make it quick. In
the meantime, let us see if we can find another resolution first, shall we? The
boy is looking a wee bit upset.”

Anna glanced over her shoulder and saw the young
gargoyle on all fours as if he was prepared to launch an attack. His ears were
pinned back, and he shifted his weight from side to side, seeming undecided
whether to snatch and grab her, or stay and fight Greenborrow.

It was kind of cute, like a half-grown puppy snarling
and snapping to protect its toy from a bigger dog. Somewhat cute, or not, she
didn’t need the kid getting involved and make matters worse.

“If my death isn’t required at this exact moment, mind
if I check dinner? One of the rabbits is a bit close to the fire.”

Greenborrow gestured, waving her forward. “By all
means. Plans are best discussed over food.”

Anna turned her back on the two and attended to the
rabbits. With her back to them she was sure they couldn’t see her hands
shaking. She’d called the other Fae’s bluff, and if she kept a level head for
the next few hours, she might actually live to see her next birthday.
Twenty-three seemed like a good goal.

When she had fussed with the fire as long as was
possible, she turned back to the older Fae and asked, “So, which one of you
would have won the fight? Just genuine curiosity.”

Greenborrow laughed again. “A gargoyle usually wins
most fights, but Shadowlight is very young yet, and I’ve learned a fair number
of dirty tricks.”

So, like she’d thought. The older Fae would have
creamed the kid.

Her gargoyle friend looked displeased by the other’s
words, but didn’t contradict them, which was telling all on its own.

The older Fae took a seat on the other side of the
fire from her, perching on the fallen tree trunk like he did it all the time.
Then he turned his head in Shadowlight’s direction and looked expectant.

When that didn’t elicit a response, Greenborrow
sighed. “Well boy, are you going to go get those blueberries half a kilometer
back or not—you do realize humans are omnivores, they need more than just
meat.”

Shadowlight’s indecision was almost humorous, if they
hadn’t been thinking the exact same thing. It would be easy enough to do what
needed doing while the young gargoyle was away for a few moments.

“Oh, please,” Greenborrow’s great shaggy eyebrows
rose. “You both have my word no harm will come to the human while you go get
the berries. Take the sack and pick only the darkest ones with the dusty
coating—they’ll be the ripest.”

Greenborrow tossed a canvas bag in the general
direction of the gargoyle. Shadowlight hesitated a few moments more.

“I promise not to tell her anything until you return.”
Greenborrow proceeded to pull a knife and a chunk of wood from somewhere. Had
he just pulled them out of the air? It sure looked like that.

After turning the raw chunk over several times and
studying it from many angles, he began to whittle an image only he could see.
He ignored all else around him as he worked and even began whistling an
unfamiliar tune.

Shadowlight hesitated a moment more, and then with a
twitch of his ears—one she was coming to equate with a shrug—he turned and
vanished into the forest.

Well, wasn’t he trusting?

Anna wasn’t feeling half so trusting herself, but
there wasn’t anything she could do about it. So instead she tended the fire and
the rabbits while she waited for Shadowlight to return.

It was one of the longest half-hours of her career.