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

up from this.” Rianne faced me, eyes heavy with sorrow. “This is the only way, I know that. But promise me you will find us, that you will do what is right.”

“I promise.”

With that, she placed a hand on her chest. Blue light appeared there, glowing brighter as it formed a sphere until it was as large as a balled fist. She took the light, held it as the glow faded to what looked like a ball of metal, and then held it out to me.

“I offer you the Liahona, so that it might guide you to us when the time is right.”

I took it, nodding, feeling the light metal in my hands. “What now?”

Rianne turned to her fellow ladies. “We get you to the mountain’s heart, where we will wait to defend the key to Avalon. The land will call upon us when it is needed most.”

“Yenifer,” Rianne said, giving her a pleasant nod. “It’s an honor to have you fighting for us, as always.”

“Thank you, high priestess,” the large woman with the axes replied.

“We’ll find Irla on the way,” Aerona said. “She was out on a scouting mission.”

“You will need her,” Rianne said.

Aerona nodded in understanding.

“If that’s all, then, you should be off. The time is at hand.”

As if on cue, a gust of wind blew through the cracks of the structure. There was no doubt that wind spelled danger. As the ladies and the two other men in the room had already gone to the door, throwing it open and charging outside, I followed. Before exiting, though, I turned to the familiar sound of chanting.

There was Rianne, arms spread and robes fluttering against her body as wind pushed around her, purple and blue magic flowing like streams of light as it lifted her off the ground.

“Out, now!” Ebrill shouted as she grabbed me and pulled me with her.

As soon as we exited, the place exploded outward. Rianne rose into the sky, and the wood, along with her streaming light, shot out to target what I now saw were flying beasts moving in for the attack.

Whatever power had been keeping the enemy armies at bay was now gone—the Liahona, I realized. If I failed, all of the sacrifice that was about to happen would be for nothing.

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Armies charged after us in pursuit, ranging from goblins and dwarves to monsters that rose from the ground in bursts of lava and darkness. Drow that had so recently been our allies suddenly turned on us, and winged beasts like I had encountered on the rooftop of my aunt’s place swept down from the skies.

No matter what they threw at her, though, Rianne held off wave after wave of the enemy, her magic lashing about in bursts like solar flares, then swirling around that camp, luring more of the enemy to their deaths.

“Stick together,” Aerona shouted to our party. “If we move as one, they can’t stop us.”

I glanced back, wondering how she could say that, considering the sheer weight of numbers against us. Had this been only a couple of days before, I would have been curling up and screaming, maybe rocking back and forth and thinking it was part of an episode. Now I had magic, though, and knew I was a bit of a badass.

Let them come, I thought, casting defense as I prepared. At least I would figure out a way to take down as much of their army as I could before falling.

Two rock trolls came rolling down from the hillside to our left, charging us to do battle, as a line of flying beasts caught up to us and made to block our route. Yenifer had both axes out and leaped to catch one on the back of a flying beast, using that as leverage to swing herself onto the back of another and start hacking away. Aerona and Gertrude sent explosive spells at the rock trolls, while the two men with us took up the rear with me and Ebrill, as goblins and orcs riding on deformed creatures that reminded me of hogs and panthers caught up.

I slammed one of these weird mounts with a stun spell that sent its rider tumbling right into the path of one of Yenifer’s axes. Turning to attack another, I ducked as blades flew overhead only to vanish and appear swirling around a man’s head as he descended on us. He thrust out with a hand and the blades attacked again. One of the men on our side pulled me out of the way as a shield of flames burst out to burn his attacker, but he took a slice across the other arm in the process. One of the other riders connected with Yenifer and knocked one of her axes to the ground before receiving a blast from Aerona that removed his head. I was somewhere between shock and determination to live, casting stuns in every direction I could think of. In that moment, I swore to myself that I would learn some legit attack spells as soon as possible.

Yenifer recovered her axe and knocked her attacker to the ground, but was distracted by another attacker, this one riding a wild boar. The man on the ground shifted and pointed his hand at her, and I knew something bad was coming if nobody intervened. Everyone seemed busy, and I was too far away.

Still, I took a step toward her, shouting. My foot hit a loose stone and I had an idea. After quickly stowing the Liahona within my new attire, I picked up the stone, used my elemental strike spell to fill it with fire and threw it, all in one fluid motion.

It hit and exploded like a grenade. Maybe too much power, I realized, and also understood that I wasn’t as helpless as I’d thought.

The force sent Yenifer off balance, so that Gertrude had to step in to stabilize her. Combined, that duo was a force to be reckoned with, casting spells left and right while