Sorceress Rising (A Gargoyle and Sorceress Tale Book 2) (12 page)

“Be patient,”
she cast him a dark look, “Haven’t you heard the saying you need to learn how
to walk before you run?”

“A human
saying.” Gregory countered. “You’re a gargoyle now. React.”

With only the
one word as warning, Gregory charged, his wings spread to block escape to
either side. She backpedaled, lost her balance, and landed on her butt in an
undignified sprawl. Gregory landed on top and gave her a sloppy gargoyle kiss
before bounding away again. She growled at his retreating backside, wishing she
had a well-weighted rock. Rolling to all fours, she scrubbed his residual kiss
off with one foreleg and then stretched, loosening and limbering up muscles.

When he doubled
back for her, she was ready and pounced on him. Her strike was more luck than
skill, but she landed square on his back and was rewarded by his grunt of
surprise as she knocked his hind legs out from under him, using only her tail.

Gregory
collapsed and rolled at the same time. Lillian suddenly found herself falling
sideways with him somehow on top. They were chest to chest, and when Gregory
gave a happy little wiggle, she was reminded she was naked.

“Chauvinistic
pervert,” Lillian issued a light hearted challenge. “Why do you get a loincloth
and I get nothing?”

With another of
his slow, toothy grins Gregory tugged at one of the loincloth’s ties. “I would
never wish to make you feel you weren’t my equal.”

“Ha! Nice try,
but no getting naked. One buck-ass naked gargoyle running through the woods is
enough. And speaking about running. If you want me to run and hunt with you,
you better magic up something to bind these with,” she pointed at her breasts,
“‘cause running with them loose is not going to be any kind of fun.”

Gregory sighed
longingly. “Perhaps not for you…”

“P is for
perverted. G is for gargoyle….”

“I like to think
P was for patience.”

“That’s for me.
You definitely get the former.” Lillian turned from him and started scanning
the ground. When she found a particularly nice patch of moss and ferns, she
pointed at it with one long clawed finger. “Magic me up some clothing like you
did once before. Only this time, something similar to your loincloth and a
sports bra instead of a pretty, but functionally useless gown.”

“As my lady
commands.” Gregory turned to the area she indicated.

****

Dressed in her
strange, but comfortable, mixed plant fiber clothing, Lillian loped along
behind Gregory as he stalked his prey through the forest. At a later date, he’d
promised to make her magically warded clothing like his loincloth so the items
would shape shift with her. Which, Lillian had to admit, would be handy.

As promised, she
found it natural to run on all fours, and they covered ground quickly.
Following downwind of Gregory had the added benefit of being bathed in a wash
of his warm, male scent. It mingled in an altogether pleasant way with the
night breeze.

Following him
for kilometers at a time was far from a chore. It soothed the wildness she’d
experience earlier in the afternoon when she’d felt trapped in the house, missing
Gregory and needing something so primal she hadn’t known what it was. Now she
knew.

She needed
this—a wild run through her home forest. Hunting with Gregory at her side.
Putting on a burst of speed, she came alongside him. He glanced over at her and
she prodded him affectionately with her muzzle, working her way up his side, to
his shoulder, and then finally managed to plant a wet kiss along his cheek as
they ran.

“I love you,”
she sent in a burst of emotion.

“And I you,
guardian of my heart and soul.” Gregory’s tail slid along her body, a caress of
friendship and reassurance. “But there is still many things I must teach you
this night, and you will need nutrition to maintain your strength.”

She was feeling
mildly hungry, had been for some time, but she’d seen so many wonderful things
she’d put it out of her mind. Though now that he’d mentioned it, hunger planted
itself forefront in her thoughts.

“I could use
a snack,”
she sent.

“Follow me. I
know a place.”

Tethys swam
deeper, her powerful tail cutting through the water easily as her eyes scanned
the reef below for signs of Surefin. There, near a yawning ravine in the coral,
a silver grey shadow darted around an outcropping and sank into a fissure. She
followed him, humming and clicking softly. She used no enchantments, wanting
him to come to her willingly. Swimming over the crest of coral, she almost
collided with the young dolphin. He turned to bolt deeper into the reef.

“Wait. I will
not harm you. You are safe with me. Look within my mind and you will see the
truth.”

His uncertainty
still clear in every flick of his tail and fins, he rose a bit higher.

Taking it as
permission, she turned her magic upon herself. Her enchantment allowed the
young male a way into her thoughts and emotions if he was brave enough to try.

“Go ahead. No
harm will come to you. And you are free to go now or after,”
Tethys sent warmth and peace across the mental link.
“I have
never and will never enslave one of the ocean.”

Surefin
cautiously bumped his muzzle against her outstretched hand, then forward a bit
more until he positioned himself for a scratch. After a bit of tactile
reassurance, his thoughts touched hers. He was more thorough than she would
have thought, given his boisterousness and reactive personality. She waited
patiently for him to finish. When he slid back and away, she did not hinder his
escape. He picked up speed and vanished around another part of the coral reef.

Her heart
surprisingly heavy, Tethys made her way back to the boat.

All was as she
had left it. The human male still waited where she had ordered him to sit.
Focusing her magic, she sent another command.
Ready the boat. We will be
leaving soon.”

After waiting a
moment to assure herself the human did as she said, she frowned down at the
dead female. She’d waited a touch longer than was best, but the body wasn’t so
old as to be useless. With a mighty heave, Tethys dragged herself up and over
the side of the boat and flopped down next to the body.

She leaned over
and placed her hands on either side of the female’s head. Again, the ocean’s
magic filled her, eager to her command, and with the slightest push, it invaded
the dead woman’s body. Even with her magic bolstering it, the little residual
consciousness lacked the sharp clarity of a living mind, the memories
accumulated over a lifetime already faded, disintegrating into the grey
afterlife. But Tethys found the scraps of what she needed. With a touch of
desperation, she hurried to gather those fragile leavings. It wasn’t enough to
allow her to function in this new modern world, but it was enough to give her
the bare bones of a language.

Besides, she
still had the male to act as her guide. She trailed her fingers along the
woman’s cooling cheek, over the line of the jaw, and down the pale column of
her throat where the skin was already taking on a grey tinge. With the flick of
one sharp nail, the delicate skin parted to reveal the red meat below. Blood
oozed from the cut. More followed those first sluggish drops, but it wasn’t enough
for the siren’s purpose. With a soft hiss, Tethys turned the body onto its side
and pressed her cupped hand underneath the wound. Long moments crept by. When
her palm finally contained a few sips, she brought it to her lips and drank.

She grimaced in
distaste but drank it all, even licking the residue from her webbed fingers.
She was just cleaning the last of it away when a splash at the side of the boat
caught her attention. A familiar grey muzzle, with a fish grasped in its teeth,
poked up out of the water. Surefin bobbed up and down as if uncertain of his
welcome.

With a smile and
click of encouragement, she heaved her bulk over to the edge of the boat and
gave Surefin a rub of welcome.

“You
returned.”

“Yes. I come
too.”

“You belong
with your pod.”
The siren rubbed under his jaw and
along the undersides of his fins to take the sting out of her words.
“Where
I go, there is danger. Too much for one so young.”

“I go until
there is danger. Then I return to pod. Dolphin family wait.”

Tethys sighed,
knowing she would have to use magic upon the dolphin to keep him from
following. Perhaps he could follow for a short while. At least until they were
farther north. She had planned for her human guide to stay close to the shore
as they headed north. It would be easy enough to command him to keep their
craft’s speed down enough so the dolphin could follow them. And to be honest,
she expected the journey would prove long and lonely.

“Very well.
You may come. But only until we are farther north. Once I go inland, you will
have to remain behind.”

She winced as an
explosion of excited clicks nearly deafened her.

“Calm,
Surefin. You may come. But you must tell your family pod first.”

Without further
ceremony, Surefin deposited the fish in her lap. Then with another series of
excited clicks and whistles, he sank back below the waves. His speech too fast
for even another dolphin to understand, Tethys could only assume the slur of
sound meant Surefin would be back once he had informed his family pod.

She returned to
the boat and pulled herself aboard. Turning her attention to the pale sad
corpse, she studied it from head to toe in one long sweep and determined it was
of no further use. She grabbed one chilled shoulder and fought with the dead
weight until she had it positioned, ready to heave over the side of the boat.
One more powerful shove and the body teetered at the edge for a moment before
it slid over the side and into the ocean. The dark water rippled as the body
disappeared in a flurry of bubbles.

After washing
the blood from her hands, Tethys frowned at her own long tail knowing what she
had to do next. Her body had had enough time to process the human’s blood.

She closed her
eyes and took one deep breath and then another, willing her magic to the
surface while at the same time pushing away the dislike of what she must do.
Power flooded out from her center, down the length of her arms, to the tips of
her fingers. She stiffened her spine and grasped the side of the boat in a
punishing grip. The webbing between her fingers parted down the middle and was
absorbed back into her hand. Her silver grey skin tinted with a soft rose hue
as the magic continued to burn through her body. Scales receded, smoothing into
the soft, drab skin of a human. The conversion continued to race down her body,
leaving the frail appearance of a human in its wake. More of her magic rose at
her command, concentrating in the region of her tail.

A pained gasp,
almost a sob, escaped her. She clenched her jaw, refusing to admit any
weakness. The pain intensified. Her tail receded, shrunk. Bones, muscles, and
veins all rearranged themselves as her magic continued its work. With a wet
sound of shredding, her tail split in two, which made her cry out in a guttural
scream. Her vision greyed out and she slumped to her side.

She drifted for
a time on the edge of consciousness, no longer really feeling the pain. But her
magic continued the transformation. She could still feel her body shifting as
it settled into a new form. For a time, the only thing she was aware of was the
gentle rocking of the boat and the soft splash of surf, the calming sound of
her home. And there was a louder splash and a heavy wet thump next to her head.
She blinked blurry eyes to clear them. The world came into focus slowly, too
slowly, and the edges were still grey. She blinked at the still flopping fish
as it twisted and jumped on the boat deck.

“I bring you
fish.”

Tethys flinched
at the sharp whistle but only sighed at the young one’s exuberance. Her ocean-born
companion would continually remind her of the purpose for her quest, the reason
for her leaving the ocean, for the sacrifice of becoming human.

True to his
word, Gregory knew of a good hunting spot. It wasn’t too distant, perhaps only
about five kilometers. The exact distance was hard to judge as her gargoyle
body allowed her to cover greater distances relatively quickly. She was fast
coming to like her new body.

They’d only just
reached the place he’d promised when a small furry creature broke cover and
darted off ahead of them.

Gregory snorted
and shot off after the creature in the time it took her to realize it was a
rabbit she’d seen. Moments later, a minor scuffle ensued punctuated by a short
squeal of terror.

Appearing out of
the deep shadows, Gregory padded to her side, the carcass of a rabbit clasped
in his jaws. With great ceremony, he deposited the furry creature at her feet.
He sat down beside her and curled his tail around his flanks. Daintily, he
cleaned a few specks of blood from his muzzle and claws. When he was finished,
he pointedly looked at her and then glanced at the rabbit, his perked ears
dropping slightly.

With a mild
churning in her stomach, she glanced down at the rabbit, and then back to
Gregory. He still watched her expectantly.

Did he expect
her to eat the rabbit? Raw, fur and all?

Her uncle Alan
had taught her the basics of bow hunting, and she’d taken down a few rabbits
and even a couple deer over the years, but she’d never done the nasty work of
gutting, skinning, and cleaning. She’d found the blood and mess just a little
too disturbing.

“Mmm, thank
you.” Not wanting to hurt Gregory’s feelings, she crouched down lower on her
forelimbs and nudged the small carcass with her muzzle.

Warm and furry,
the mildly musky animal scent coiled in her nose, but overlaying it was the
copper scent of blood. Her mouth filled with saliva, and her stomach cramped.
It wasn’t nausea; no, it was much worse.

Hunger.

She suddenly
found the small carcass far from repulsive.

Jerking back so
she wouldn’t bite into the rabbit like her instincts demanded, she leaned into
Gregory and whined instead.

“Would you like
me to gut and skin it for you?”

Burrowing her
muzzle between his shoulder and wing, she nodded. She took a deep breath,
hoping his scent would drive away the all-consuming hunger. The soft wet sounds
of shredding flesh reached her ears and the coppery scent intensified.

Gregory shifted,
his wings folding back and away from her, forcing her to face what he held in
his jaws. Dryad Lillian was still repulsed, but Gargoyle Lillian was hungry and
he offered it so sweetly. He presented it to her again, still held tightly in
his jaws.

She inched
forward, nudging his muzzle with her own. Whining, she licked him in
submission. With a grunt of pleasure, Gregory dropped his gift and stood over
her. She snatched it up, giving the still warm flesh a couple bites before
gulping it down. Snatching up another piece, she chewed and swallowed it in
seconds and bent for another.

When the last of
Gregory’s small ‘kill’ was gone, she cleaned her muzzle as she’d seen him do,
and then looked over her shoulder at him. He stretched out on the ground less
than a body length from her. Not bothering with words, he merely patted the
ground next to him and laid his head onto his folded forearms.

She circled a
couple times before she flopped down next to him. As she curled into his side,
she decided a nap sounded like a lovely idea.

****

When she woke
from her short nap, Gregory greeted her with another wet gargoyle kiss and then
stood and stretched.

“Do you feel up
to a real hunt now?”

“What? Rabbits
don’t count as hunting?” She arched her back and stretched, even giving her
wings an experimental flap before folding them tight again. Flying was still
far outside her comfort level, but hunting didn’t sound too advanced.

“No. They are
emergency snacks. Come, I’ll show you how to track and stalk a deer.”

“A deer?
Shouldn’t I start smaller?”

Gregory sidled
up next to her. He landed another one of his surprise swats along her flank and
bounded off before she could react. With a mock snarl, she gave chase,
playfully trying to snag the tip of his tail each time she managed to get close
to him.

They continued
their playful run. Gregory sometimes allowed her to catch him and other times
she put on a burst of speed, startling him enough to overtake him all on her
own. Their wild run continued for an hour in much the same fashion until he
picked up the scent of a small group of deer.

Gregory ran at a
slower gait, dipping his nose to the ground every few strides as he tracked the
deer. Lillian matched his pace, her gaze locked on the terrain ahead, scanning
for the telltale silhouettes of deer.

Her ears warned
her of an incoming beast running toward them. The sounds of snapping twigs and
the swish of foliage grew louder by the second. A deer suddenly broke cover on
the path ahead of them. It spotted them and veered hard to the left, sailing
over a tangled thicket of underbrush. Another deer, running two body lengths
behind the first, followed the same path. Lillian spun and lunged to give chase
but Gregory pounced first, landing directly in her path, blocking the way with
the bulk of his body.

“No, stay still
and quiet.” Gregory turned to study the way the deer had come.

She hunched down
next to him and remained silent.

He raised his
head and flared his nostrils. Lillian mimicked him and caught a very faint
scent. Warm mammal, mixed with something metallic and oily.

“Human warriors,
headed this way,” Gregory said barely above a whisper. “Stay close. Don’t move
unless I do.” He curled a wing over her and shifted until they were just off to
one side of the game trail, situated in the deepest shadows the immediate area
had to offer. “I want to study them while they are unaware anyone else is
near.”

A tingling,
chilled magic flowed over her. She’d experienced his protective spell of
invisibility a time or two before. To the best of her knowledge, he’d never
tried to cloak more than himself. “Is your spell sufficient to shield us both?”

“Yes. As long as
you move with me and stay in contact the entire time.” His warm breath washed
over her ears and stirred her mane.

It tickled and
she butted him gently on his shoulder.

He inched back
very slightly, still keeping contact between them.

“If I had more
time, I could have created a spell specific to you, to shield you even if I
wasn’t near.” He licked her shoulder, and twined his tail with hers while they
awaited the human soldiers. “Remind me to create one for you later. It can be
part of tonight’s spell work with the Fae metalsmiths.”

“It would
certainly be helpful,” Lillian rumbled against Gregory’s throat.

After a huff of
agreement, he turned his attention back to the humans easing their way through
the trees.

A voice drifted
to her. “I heard something come this way,” one soldier said in a low whisper.

Another soldier,
this one a few paces ahead of the one who had spoken, replied in the same quiet
tones. “Probably just a deer. We’ve seen enough of them the last few days.”

“And if it was
something other than a deer,” a third soldier said as she emerged from around a
tree almost beside Lillian, “you two would have frightened it off with all your
talk.”

“Personally, I’d
rather not run into whatever created that crater, or those malformed bodies,”
the first soldier said dryly. “If noise is likely to scare them off, the more
noise the better.”

“If noise is the
key, we’re not going to find anything anytime soon. Town’s too much of a
shitstorm.”

“What, the
reporters getting to you?”

“Them and all
the medieval society members running around. It’s like the circus arrived. A
masquerade ball. Dumbass idea.”

The shorter,
stockier one Lillian had started to think of as the squad leader, turned to the
speaker. “Oh it was far from stupid—tactical more like. But meant to look like
a money grab. There’s something strange with the whole family, the ones running
the spa. The grandmother is too nice, and the rest of the family is too helpful
and perfect.”

“How can you not
like Gran?” the female soldier asked.

“Her real name
is Vivian. Who actually goes by the name Gran, and bakes cookies for complete
strangers? I keep expecting to find the Big, Bad Wolf and Goldilocks lurking in
these woods.”

“You’re getting
your fairy tales mixed up,” the first soldier injected. “It’s Red Riding Hood.”

“You know a lot
about fairy tales.”

“Welcome to
fatherhood, the truest test of manhood. Come to think of it, my kid would love
a picture of Bigfoot.”

“Joke all you
want,” squad leader countered. “But I’m telling you there’s something strange
about the whole family. My money’s on a cult.”

“And you’re bull
shitting again.”

The leader’s
laugh grew fainter, but Lillian swiveled her ears and heard a ‘Maybe I am.’

Gregory held his
position until the last soldier had moved on down the game trail. When he
deemed it safe, he folded his wings, allowing Lillian to stand. She turned her
attention from where she’d last seen the humans. “It’s much like Gran feared.
The authorities are suspicious of our family. It’s only a matter of time before
we slip up and get our asses tossed in a cage.”

“You could let
me handle the humans,” Gregory added dryly.

“No…no massive
memory wipes, or missing persons. It would only raise more questions.” Lillian
flicked her tail in agitation. “We’ll proceed as planned. Keep working on
enchanting the weapons for the Clan. I’ll keep working with the Coven to find
ways to confuse and confound the humans.”

Gregory nodded.
“As you wish. However, I think we must continue your hunting lesson tomorrow.
Our duty will not wait for us tonight.”

“I think you’re
forgetting one little detail.” Lillian waved a hand down her body. “I don’t
know how to return to my dryad form.”

“I’ll show you
once we’re closer to home. Come.” Gregory dropped back down onto all fours and
started off in a direction that would lead back home without bringing them too
close to the human patrol. Lillian followed in his wake.