own magic to dispel her
visions, then lowered his muzzle and swiped his tongue across her face from
chin to hairline. Her eyes popped open and she flailed her arms, hollering and
trying to push his muzzle away. Punishment complete, he shoved her behind him
and stalked forward. Lillian grabbed at his tail, her fingers locking around it
in a pinching grip. With a powerful flick, he slipped free of her grasp and
darted through the ward blocking the door. She, however, smacked into the solid
blue shielding magic.
An irate sound, part huff, part growl
escaped her. “No. Dammit” she shouted. “Stop, you great brute.”
Her actions caught the attention of those
waiting below. Four sets of eyes gazed up with looks of suspicion and worry.
Unable to see him, they stared through him to where Lillian stood. By their
baffled expressions, they wondered why Lillian was pounding her fists against
empty air.
He added a layer of sound-deadening magic
to his ward, then inhaled another deep breath and began sorting the different
scents. Ah, yes. One was familiar: a vague memory, the old woman from the night
he’d first come to this realm. In the chaos, he’d not had time to learn the
grandmother’s name, but this was her—a few years older certainly, but still the
same woman who’d stood before him without fear, the one he’d trusted enough to
raise the Sorceress while he slept and healed.
He couldn’t have asked for a better outcome
under the circumstance. It was all rather too convenient. And once again, that
worrisome thought crossed his mind. Could the Lady of Battles influence events
even in this realm? Unlikely, but not impossible.
“Sis, are you okay?” The younger man with
brown hair advanced one slow step at a time.
“Jason, stay back,” Lillian yelled from
inside the house, proving just how fast she could annihilate a sound-deadening
spell guided by only her instincts.
Gregory grunted in annoyance, but didn’t
bother setting a new ward.
“It’s okay, Lil. Tell us what happened,”
the one named Jason said as he continued forward. Gregory moved to intercept.
“No! Leave him alone. Don’t hurt him.”
Lillian’s voice mirrored the panic he felt growing in her mind. She’d seen too
much today, and now he was forced to threaten her family.
“Jason, do as your sister says.”
Gregory swung his muzzle in the direction
of the new speaker: the middle-aged human who moved silent as a predator. This
one posed more danger than the younger, untrained one.
Growling low in his throat, Gregory warned
off both humans. The older male and the grandmother tensed at the sound, alert
and ready for battle. Their bravery earned them a mote of respect.
Still, they were too close to his
Sorceress. He rumbled a second time, and the one called Jason tightened his
grip on his weapon until his knuckles stood out white against the dark wood of
the staff.
“Easy, don’t panic.” The older man’s voice
exuded calm, and had the grandmother not stepped out around him and taken the
defensive position, Gregory would have assumed this male was the leader. Not
so, judging by the older woman’s body language. She held her quarterstaff
horizontal before her, her arms relaxed.
“Gran, what’s going on?” Lillian sounded
bewildered.
The old woman cleared her throat. “Lillian,
it will be alright. I’ll explain everything.”
All the while the old woman talked with
Lillian, her sharp eyes searched the shadows where Gregory stood.
He scented her summoning magic. Like wood
smoke, it tickled his nose with its pleasant, warm odor. The runes on the staff
faded for a moment as her eyes took on an unfocused look. After a moment, her gaze
sharpened and she scanned the area to either side of him, then above his head.
She smiled.
Interesting. She’d found him by seeking the
void her magic couldn’t penetrate. Clever woman. His estimate of her crept up
another notch.
“Lillian, I know this is very strange and
you have a lot of
visions, then lowered his muzzle and swiped his tongue across her face from
chin to hairline. Her eyes popped open and she flailed her arms, hollering and
trying to push his muzzle away. Punishment complete, he shoved her behind him
and stalked forward. Lillian grabbed at his tail, her fingers locking around it
in a pinching grip. With a powerful flick, he slipped free of her grasp and
darted through the ward blocking the door. She, however, smacked into the solid
blue shielding magic.
An irate sound, part huff, part growl
escaped her. “No. Dammit” she shouted. “Stop, you great brute.”
Her actions caught the attention of those
waiting below. Four sets of eyes gazed up with looks of suspicion and worry.
Unable to see him, they stared through him to where Lillian stood. By their
baffled expressions, they wondered why Lillian was pounding her fists against
empty air.
He added a layer of sound-deadening magic
to his ward, then inhaled another deep breath and began sorting the different
scents. Ah, yes. One was familiar: a vague memory, the old woman from the night
he’d first come to this realm. In the chaos, he’d not had time to learn the
grandmother’s name, but this was her—a few years older certainly, but still the
same woman who’d stood before him without fear, the one he’d trusted enough to
raise the Sorceress while he slept and healed.
He couldn’t have asked for a better outcome
under the circumstance. It was all rather too convenient. And once again, that
worrisome thought crossed his mind. Could the Lady of Battles influence events
even in this realm? Unlikely, but not impossible.
“Sis, are you okay?” The younger man with
brown hair advanced one slow step at a time.
“Jason, stay back,” Lillian yelled from
inside the house, proving just how fast she could annihilate a sound-deadening
spell guided by only her instincts.
Gregory grunted in annoyance, but didn’t
bother setting a new ward.
“It’s okay, Lil. Tell us what happened,”
the one named Jason said as he continued forward. Gregory moved to intercept.
“No! Leave him alone. Don’t hurt him.”
Lillian’s voice mirrored the panic he felt growing in her mind. She’d seen too
much today, and now he was forced to threaten her family.
“Jason, do as your sister says.”
Gregory swung his muzzle in the direction
of the new speaker: the middle-aged human who moved silent as a predator. This
one posed more danger than the younger, untrained one.
Growling low in his throat, Gregory warned
off both humans. The older male and the grandmother tensed at the sound, alert
and ready for battle. Their bravery earned them a mote of respect.
Still, they were too close to his
Sorceress. He rumbled a second time, and the one called Jason tightened his
grip on his weapon until his knuckles stood out white against the dark wood of
the staff.
“Easy, don’t panic.” The older man’s voice
exuded calm, and had the grandmother not stepped out around him and taken the
defensive position, Gregory would have assumed this male was the leader. Not
so, judging by the older woman’s body language. She held her quarterstaff
horizontal before her, her arms relaxed.
“Gran, what’s going on?” Lillian sounded
bewildered.
The old woman cleared her throat. “Lillian,
it will be alright. I’ll explain everything.”
All the while the old woman talked with
Lillian, her sharp eyes searched the shadows where Gregory stood.
He scented her summoning magic. Like wood
smoke, it tickled his nose with its pleasant, warm odor. The runes on the staff
faded for a moment as her eyes took on an unfocused look. After a moment, her gaze
sharpened and she scanned the area to either side of him, then above his head.
She smiled.
Interesting. She’d found him by seeking the
void her magic couldn’t penetrate. Clever woman. His estimate of her crept up
another notch.
“Lillian, I know this is very strange and
you have a lot of
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