Hey all! Annabelle here with the latest chapter! If you are new to the story, I recommend starting at the beginning. Also, I read every comment, and I love how much support this website keeps giving me. Keep leaving me those reviews and ratings and I will keep writing this series!
*****
Firing Squad
"Ow, fuck!" Mike winced as Naia inspected the large bruise forming above his hip bone where Abella had squeezed him with her stony thighs. The Mandragora plant had actually injured him less than the gargoyle had, surprisingly enough. Save for some scrapes on his hands (well, and not being eaten), he was fine.
"Yeah, that will sting for a while." Naia placed a kiss on it. "You had me so worried! I've never seen the Mandragora do that before. You're going to need to feed it pretty soon."
"Yeah, that's right. Meat and cheese and wine. We're going on a picnic next Wednesday." Mike informed her.
"Oh, really? I think that's a great idea," Naia said. "She'll love that!"
"Wait, the plant..." Mike felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead, even though he was standing naked in the fountain. "It can...it can..."
"I'm just kidding, goofball. The Mandragora can't leave the greenhouse." Naia glanced over at Abella. She sat in the water, her wings pulled close to her body, watching the tiny water spheres circle the fountain, glowing with their own inner light. The sun was setting on the other side of the house, and the garden was cast into darkness, save for Naia's magic spheres. "You need to be more careful, Abella. Mike isn't made of steel."
"I know," Abella grumbled, flicking the water with her finger. "Felt really good though."
"That part I get," Naia agreed. "And I'm grateful you got to him before he was eaten. None of this would have happened if you hadn't picked that little cubby to hole up in."
"I was tired of washing off bird shit," Abella said, popping a bubble with her talon. It reformed on the other side of the fountain. "If I had known Emily was going to croak, I wouldn't have come down here. It wouldn't have mattered if the Mandragora hadn't broken loose."
"And that's the peril of living here," Naia agreed. "The Mandragora wouldn't have broken out if Tink had spotted the cracked windows. Tink wouldn't have slept for so long if a new guardian had been selected in a reasonable amount of time. I'm actually kind of worried about what other surprises await us as we discover more of the house. I can't imagine that the Mandragora is the only potential danger."
"There's an easy solution," Abella said. "We need to make sure that someone is with him at all times. Currently, any time he is outside the house, he is under my care."
"You can come inside," Mike offered. "There's no reason for you to be out here."
"There is, actually. I'm a living statue-not only am I likely to damage the interior of the house, but my kind hates being indoors. I come inside only for emergencies."
"Oh." Mike sat on the edge of the fountain. The water was warm, heated by Naia's magic. "If guardianship is so important, then why didn't Emily have something set up in advance?"
Naia shrugged, her greenish-blue hair shifting along the curves of her breasts. She was wearing her simple gown currently, which Mike actually preferred. It gave her some wonderful cleavage to look at. "It seems like there was a reason, but it's been gobbled up for me. I remember arguing about it with her, but there are definitely gaps."
"Which means it involves another monster." Mike frowned at the water. "It seems like inheriting this home in itself is like a trial of sorts. If I'm not qualified for the job, something could kill me."
Naia and Abella exchanged looks. "Someone with him at all times," they both said.
"Well, that just means Tink needs to stick with me when I'm indoors," Mike said.
"Anytime you go exploring, anyway. Currently, you've restricted your explorations to out here, and unless you go back in the greenhouse, you should be fine."
'And I need to feed the Mandragora, apparently. Any other plants living in there I should worry about?"
Naia shrugged, but Abella nodded.
"Yes, actually. The forest inside the greenhouse is an extension of the house. The plants being grown in there are there for a reason. Think of it like a little herb garden, but with spell components. A wizard would kill for access to it- I imagine that there are things in there that might even be extinct in the wild."
"Wait, wizards? Those are real too?" Mike looked to Naia, who just rolled her eyes at him.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
"They aren't as prevalent in those pigwarts books," Naia told him.
"Hogwarts," Mike corrected her.
"Whatever. Last I heard, the wizards of this realm were extremely limited in number. Less than forty total since Merlin sealed away magic for humans. Maybe one person a century figures out how to do magic, and usually the others track him down and kill him."
"Holy shit." Mike shook his head. "That's insane."
"Now you know why monsters and magic items are so coveted. For some, it's the only way to gain any true power." Naia tilted her head at Abella. "Gargoyles are impervious to most normal means. Neither blade nor flame can scratch their hides, and they are extremely strong. There are few places in the world that could protect you from a gargoyle attack. With just Abella at your side, you could have your enemies killed with little fear of recourse."
"Well, not that I really do that now," Abella added. "I'm bound to the house. Unless such a task involves the long term protection of this place, I can't fly very far from here without feeling a strong urge to return."
"So, if I was in trouble a mile from here, you would come for me?" Mike asked.
"If I knew you were in trouble, potentially. It would need to be a situation dire enough that I knew your chances of survival were slim." Abella shrugged, her stony breasts shifting. "I'm more like a bouncer than anything else."
"How do you know what a bouncer is?" Mike asked.
"Please. I'm not that sheltered." Abella popped another bubble. "I have a people fetish. I watch lots of TV."
"Outside?" Mike asked.