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

“Don’t you start.” She waved me away and pulled out a purse stuffed with cash and cards. “If there’s one area we won’t have to worry about, it’s money.”

I nodded, not sure if I had ever seen so much money in one place. Upon seeing the surprise on my face, she shrugged. “Your aunt has always been very generous. Now that she’s gone, maybe more so. Her remnant—let’s call it that—gave me instructions after you left. She wanted her fortune to go on for the two of us. To pursue what she started, but never managed to finish.”

“Meaning, I’m rich but can’t use it.”

She chuckled, nodding. “You can, but draw too much attention to yourself and you’ll likely be dead by the next morning. We need to focus on the objective—find the Liahona before the enemy, and ensure it can never be used by them.”

“Ensure how?”

She weighed me up with a penetrating look before turning back to the road, and replying, “Do what those of old never could do. Destroy it.”

“If it’s so powerful, couldn’t we use it to defeat the enemy?”

She shook her head. “It has a way of affecting its user. Making the best of us mad for power.”

“So, we get it, destroy them, then destroy it. Yeah? But how does it work, and how do we destroy it? Throw it into Mt. Doom, I’m guessing.”

The reference was lost on her, as she shook her head. “I don’t know of any such mountain, but no, and I don’t have the answer to that question.”

With a solemn nod, I cleared my throat and looked out at the many sweaty tourists, a statue of a man on a horse, and several protesters in front of the White House. All of those people thought what they were doing was important, and that this building they were looking at housed one of the most powerful men in the world. How little they knew. According to what I was hearing, the mission I was taking on was of more importance than anything any president had ever done and had the potential to give me more power than anyone.

An overwhelming thought, for sure.

“That should do,” Fatiha said, eyes lingering on my face longer than seemed natural. After a moment, she said, “You know, you have some of her in you.”

“My aunt?”

She nodded. “Maybe it’s the magic, the sense of adventure in what’s about to come. I don’t know. But, I see it.”

I smiled and turned back to watch the activists on the White House lawn.

“Come on,” she said, indicating the sun’s low position in the sky. “Best get back before dark.”

“They won’t be waiting anymore?”

“Oh, they might be. I’m hoping they’ve thinned out, but also, I’ve had time to come up with a plan.” She grinned, pushed herself up, and then offered me a hand. I nodded, pushed myself up on my own, and followed her back to the car.

82

Fatiha passed a corner where the house was visible, paused at the stop sign, and kept going two more blocks. Deep shadows already spread out across lawns, sunset nearly upon us.

“What I don’t get,” I said as we exited the car, “is why they didn’t come after me right away when I left the house.”

“They actually believed they had a shot at converting you, is my only guess.” She checked around and indicated a way through a stranger’s yard. We moved at a brisk pace.

“So, you think they have the place on constant watch?”

“I can’t see why they wouldn’t, at this point.”

“Tarian,” I said, making the gesture and feeling glad about my defense going up. As I was about to cast another, Fatiha put a hand on my forearm and shook her head. “No need.”

“But if we’re going up against them…”

“Gertrude was smart—at times I thought paranoid—but, it turns out… smart.” Indicating for me to follow, she led me along a stone wall that led to a vine-covered wall. We hopped over the stones to the grass on the other side and then started running in a crouch. We ducked behind two trees in a clump of willows. “Smart, because she made secret passages.”

At that, Fatiha strode over to the vines, moved something from the base, and then reached past the greenery. A moment later, a section of the wall creaked and she ducked through the vines, vanishing from sight. I looked around and then followed, not sure what to expect.

The vines gave resistance at first, but then I was through, ducking into a narrow walkway between two walls. We soon reached a dead end, but Fatiha kept going, moving the wall to our right to reveal a hole where a ladder led the way down.

“A bit crude, but it serves its purpose.” She went first, me following close behind, and soon we were running along through the basement, coming up into a closet. Fatiha gave me a look as if she were going to pin me against the wall in there and show me her version of seven minutes in heaven, but instead checked the door and led us out. The fantasy about getting with such an older woman felt strange to me, but as I imagined her teaching me with her experience, I couldn’t ignore the temptation… and curiosity.

My first move was to go to one of the front windows, to see what we were dealing with. I stayed close to the curtain, barely peeking out, and saw several pairs of red eyes appear in the shadows of the trees in the neighbors’ yards. The pink of the sky had faded to a dull, dark blue, meaning we had made it in at the perfect time.

“No more wandering off, agreed?” Fatiha demanded. When I nodded, she said, “Good. Go check on your friend so you’re there when she wakes. Get her up to speed while I check on your aunt.”

“On her remnant, you mean.”

“Ah, right. Yes.”

I watched her walk off, wondering if I should