Myths and Gargoyles by Jamie Hawke (interesting books to read in english txt) 📕

“I think my sister and I should go through the portal,” Sekhmet cut in.

“It’s too dangerous,” Nivian replied.

“Exactly. We go through, see where it leads, and then find our way back to the team. Way I see it, we’re the most likely to survive whatever’s on the other side, and worst case scenario can fake our way out of there. We’ll know where the other side is, and when it’s time to come back for you all, we’ll be able to use the portal as a passage point.”

Nivian considered this, turning to Arthur. “She makes a good point, and sending you all through the lake might not even work as gods.”

Arthur nodded. “So shall it be.”

“We have a plan, then,” Elisa said. “Meanwhile, we find the witches to get the location, for Goldilocks to steal the goose, and then we’ll make Arthur and my brothers gods.”

“And get me out of here, too,” the fairy queen added.”

“Sure.”

“Fucking awesome,” Sharon said, and for the first time I noticed how giddy she was.

“What’re you so excited about?” I asked with a laugh.

“Oh, just getting to fuck over the bad guys. I’ve been looking forward to getting some payback.”

I laughed, nodding. “Let’s do it then.”

We wished Elisa’s brothers and Arthur well, leaving them with promises of sending for them all soon, and made our way back to the lake, leaving them there to set up camp and Sekhmet to go through the portal with her sister.

It took some time to make it back to the lake, but when we were there, all of us were silent, solemn, ready for the adventure ahead.

“Focus,” Nivian said to me, guiding us to lean over, to look into the water.

We stared into the lake, at our reflections, and as Nivian slid into the water, legs becoming a fish tail, the reflection rippled. The Fae landscape faded to that of our Earth, to the mansion where I’d first learned of Elisa and her painting. Where I’d started out life as a Protector.

Then it wasn’t a reflection anymore, but we were there, in the pool where I’d enjoyed the company of my ladies.

Home at last.

58

My first instinct was to turn on the news to see what we missed, while Red probably had the better idea of pulling up Mowgli on the comms. I watched in horror unable to take my eyes away as the television showed images of much of Europe in ruins.

“You…you’re alive,” Mowgli said.

“Sorry we couldn’t be in touch earlier,” Red replied. “We were in the Fae realm.”

“And everything there’s as it should be?”

Red hesitated as an image showed a crater where Stone Henge had once stood for untold years, cities in ruins like looking like the aftermath of Hiroshima.

“No.” Red stepped over next to me, the floating screen with Mowgli’s face at her side. “First, we found Queen Mab, or Jack did.”

I waved, eyes darting between Mowgli and the destruction.

“Glad to see you alive and well,” Mowgli said.

“Thank you. You too, sir.”

He chuckled. “So, Queen Mab? How?”

“I guess she found me.”

“And…” Red nudged me, made a flapping motion with her hand.

“Ah, right. And… I got a spirit animal.”

“Well blow me down,” Mowgli said in his best Popeye impersonation. At my look, he shook his head. “Sorry, and no, Popeye isn’t one of us. Doesn’t exist outside of cartoons, unfortunately.”

I chuckled. “That’s too bad.”

“What sort of spirit animal, if I may?” He was leaning closer to the screen, his excitement evident. It made sense, if what they told me was true about how rare spirit animals truly were.

“A flying lion and…” I touched my heart. “He’s resting, at the moment.”

Mowgli looked at me with a whole new level of respect.

Meanwhile, on the news, a woman appeared floating over the Louvre, her yellow robes flapping in the wind as the military sent a barrage of shots her way. Cannon, guns, you name it. None of it did a damn thing, and when she clapped her hands together, an explosion sent them all back, destroying the glass pyramids of the Louvre.

“Shit,” I said under my breath. “We wasted too much time.”

“As far as Earth is concerned, we’ve barely been gone at all,” Elisa replied.

“About an hour,” Mowgli clarified. “And yes, that’s still too long. Ra and the others have already managed to take out much of Europe, and they’re spreading, calling on all the fairy tales to join their side, telling humans to bow down in worship. It’s bad.”

Elisa stepped up to join us. “My brothers are working with Arthur. They think Queen Mab can bring them back, like Ra.”

“That’s good news.”

“And you?” she asked. “I suppose there’s a plan.”

He grimaced. “We lost a lot, we—”

“Fell back…” Red said, voice cold.

“Er, yes.” He looked ashamed. “We just don’t have the forces, Red.”

“Others are falling,” Sharon said, and I turned to see her, a grim expression, eyes partly shadowed. “I feel them.”

I took her hand, squeezing it. “Don’t.”

She blinked, clearing the shadow away. “I had to know.”

“How bad?” Elisa asked.

“Bad…”

“She’s right,” Mowgli confirmed. “I wouldn’t know as well as she, but we’ve been reaching out to our worldwide network, and all along Europe up to Russia has fallen or gone over. We suspect many have gone over to the other side.”

A nod from Sharon.

“We’re going to need every ally we can get,” Pucky said. “And already have plans in that regard.

Elisa sighed. “The witches.”

Mowgli nodded, but his eyes darted off to the side.

“What is it?” Red asked.

“They’ve been… out of contact.” Mowgli faced us again. “Jack, how much do you trust this friend of yours?”

“Chris?” I asked. “Like a brother. The good kind, not the stab you in the back kind. But…”

“What?”

“If pus—I mean, if women are involved, everything tends to go out the window with him. And in this case, we know women are.”

“Only one way to find out,” Elisa interjected. “Time to pay our friends a little visit. I’ll make contact, see what we can find.”

She went off to make her calls, leaving us