Sorceress Rising (A Gargoyle and Sorceress Tale Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

jump the fence and take off
down the trail, the pooka a dark shadow a short distance behind.
    Gentle fingers
curled around his muzzle and tilted it until she was looking directly into his
eyes—hers were full of sorrow. “Have I taught my Gargoyle Protector to lie? Is
that the gift I have given him?” Sadness echoed in her voice even as the words
were carried away on the afternoon breeze.
    “Lillian.”
    She slid one
finger against his lips. “Don’t. Not if it’s another lie. In the not so distant
past, we both concealed truths with the intention of protecting the other. As I
recall, it didn’t work out so well for us.” Lillian stepped up to him,
surprising him with a fierce embrace, her arms squeezing him with all the
strength she possessed. “I will never knowingly lie to you again.”
    Nothing and no
one possessed the power to unman him as devastatingly as his Sorceress. He
bowed his muzzle over Lillian’s head, nuzzling her hair as his arms and wings
encircled her smaller form. “Forgive me. Even if I learn nothing in this life,
I will learn this lesson well. You have my word, I will not lie to you again.”
He dragged in a deep breath, savoring her calming scent.
    Lillian held her
silence as she petted his back in long soothing strokes.
    To his shame,
his wings trembled at her gentle touch, but something in his spirit eased and
the truth flowed from him freely. “I asked the unicorn and the pooka to tell me
what they had learned about your birth parents. Both equines have a unique
ability to read the heart of a person—to see one’s hidden personality traits,
their loves, hates, their deepest desires—what lengths they will stoop to in
order to complete a mission. Dark things no child should have to learn about a
parent, beloved or not.”
    Lillian gave a
bitter sounding laugh. “Gregory, there is nothing the pooka and the unicorn can
tell me that will be worse than what I already imagine. At most, whatever they
say will only confirm what I suspect.” She patted his shoulder in a
companionable way before continuing, “Later, together, we’ll listen to what the
unicorn and pooka have to say about my parents.”
    “Your words hold
wisdom.” He gave her hand where it rested on his shoulder an affectionate lick.
    She sighed
predictably at the dampness covering the back of her hand, but the muscles of
her jaw relaxed enough for a hint of a smile to show through. “Well, there’s a
first. Let’s go find Greenborrow and Whitethorn.” Her lips turned down in
determination. “Battle plans await.”
    With a sharp nod
of assent, Gregory dropped to all fours and bumped his nose under her hand. Her
fingers skimmed over the curve of his muzzle and around the base of one horn
before settling in his mane as she took up a long legged stride, a perfect
match for his ground eating walk.
    With the subtle
contact, peace flowed between them and Gregory’s world was back as it should
be.

C hapter Four
     
    Lillian halted
at the edge of the forest’s shadowy perimeter. Gregory mirrored her motion, and
she dropped her fingers away from his mane. The breeze blew cool across her
heated face, the contrast raising gooseflesh along her arms.
    If she had a
choice, she would turn back and return to the cottage where her grandmother was
probably making another batch of cookies, knowing her. But Lillian did not
really have a choice, the Lady of Battles wasn’t giving her one. Gregory was
right. A battle was coming—with the humans or the Lady of Battles—Lillian
wasn’t sure which. She just hoped it wasn’t both at the same time. A war on two
fronts would be too much, even for Gregory, or at least impossible to limit
casualties.
    The gravel path
continued for another dozen feet before it turned, winding its twisting way
through the trees and out of sight. Lillian hesitated a moment longer, and then
with a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and marched into the shadow of
the trees.
    They walked in
silence. The only