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

“Peter…?” I said, trying to understand this darkness.

His hand lifted and he made a fist, and that’s when I saw his shadow was long, reaching, connected to my own. Neither made sense as the light was to our right and so our shadows should’ve been to our left, not straight ahead. The dark sensation came strong now. As he stood there, two men approached his side, both dressed as pirates. One was a living skeleton, the other a man with a hook.

“Take him,” Peter said, and they came for me as the darkness fell over my eyes so that suddenly I was seeing the airport as if through a veil. But it was in flames, embers falling from the ceiling, a woman running in the distance looking more like dinner to me than an actual person. My size started to increase again, and I imagined the hair and claws as well.

“No,” I said, pushing back, the darkness fading and the veil as well.

“Before he has a chance to fight it!” Peter said.

The pirates charged me now, but I was already pulling out of the darkness and, taking my magic knife out of its sheath, squared off against them.

9

“Not today, Hook,” I said, lunging for him. The tall pirate sneered and drew his saber, deftly parrying my silly knife strike aside and kicking me to the ground.

“Snotty child,” he said as the skeleton came up alongside him, going to my other side. “What makes you think you can possibly stand against us?”

Shit. I had possibly bitten off more than I could chew.

As Hook pointed his blade at me, laughing and circling me, Peter approached. A taller woman was now at his side, and at the other was the woman who’d bitten me, only now with more hair, more claws, as if partially transformed.

“Why do you fight it?” Peter asked. “So much strength, so much power. If it was enough for her to sniff you out… well, let’s just say the potential is great, young one.”

That coming from him. What a riot. The sounds of fighting growing closer reminded me I wasn’t alone, so I glared up at him and said, “You’re on the wrong side. A mistake I’ll never make.”

“Come, new Protector,” Peter said, stepping forward and looming over me. “Don’t be foolish. You’re powerful, clearly. But also… not enough. However,” he gestured to the Big Bad Wolf, “if I were to give you her powers, that would be something. Let me in, stop fighting. Become her.”

The woman glared at him, but wouldn’t challenge him. They both turned to me. She seemed defeated, lost.

“Go to hell.” I drew my knife, lunging. I missed, but not exactly, because I took a gamble.

Remembering stories of Peter and his shadow, I put that together with the fact that my blade was magic, and struck—not at him, but at his shadow. The tip met a slight resistance less than an inch off the ground and Peter fell back, growling in pain, his two pirate accomplices stumbling back as well—a side effect I hadn’t expected. My best guess was that these two were tied to him somehow, maybe even not exactly real except by some magic of his, so I paid them no attention as I twisted my blade further into the shadow. This time Peter fell to one knee and the other two faded completely.

I turned just in time to see Pucky taking down one agent with a kick and then another with what I assumed was a tranquilizer shot, based on what she’d told me. And then Red was free.

“Run!” Pucky shouted to me, and I gave my blade one more twist before pulling it free and sprinting with all I had.

“Good to see you,” Red said with a nod of respect my way as I reached them,. “I see you’re kicking ass like one of us already.”

“Trying my best,” I said. “Why the hell is Peter Pan on the bad side?” A glance back to see he was up now, his companions back, and all were in pursuit.

“He went dark a few years back,” Pucky explained. “Ever since Wendy married Dorothy. I don’t know, but something about losing her to a woman made him kinda go mad.”

“Wendy and Dorothy?” Hey, it was California, but who would’ve known.

“I’ll fill you in later,” she shouted, checking back to see that Red was with us.

We ran, but as we reached the doorway Peter Pan’s shadow rose as if blocking us. Pucky said, “Don’t stop!” so we charged right through. It felt like leaping through a waterfall, but on the other side Pucky’s horns were glowing gold and we were unharmed.

“They have my hood!” Red shouted, and I turned back to see it was true, she was only wearing her revealing black top and tight pants. Looking damn good, but not quite complete without the red.

“Dammit,” Pucky cursed, already turning back. “We have to go back.”

“For a hood cloak thingy?” I asked, not wanting to run back out there in the slightest.

She nodded and was already running as Red said, “It’s not just any hood,” and then followed.

That left only me, cursing and wondering for the thousandth time how I’d gotten into this mess. But then as I watched them charge the line of Shades Pan’s still-detached shadow had sent out to meet us before retreating on board the private jet with the hood, I was suddenly thrilled by the whole idea of getting back into the fight.

It was like something took me over, in part, but it was more than that—there was the image of these two beautiful women, ready to fight and die for their survival but also to protect humanity and our world. I was one of them, and there was no turning back from that now.

Hell, I wouldn’t even if I could.

I charged back out, ignoring the shouts from the security guards behind us, ignoring the crunch of broken glass under my