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

wouldn’t be now, I supposed, except that somehow my new life and this one were intertwining. Soon, I hoped, that would make sense. The next room was more low-key, with people networking, handing business cards to each other, laughing with fake laughs and equally fake smiles. Now this was the D.C. get-together that I had imagined.

“Too bad…” Steph said, glancing back toward the double doors we had come through.

“See someone?” I asked.

She chuckled, wrapping her arm in mine and leaning in close. “No, too bad we’re not here to just enjoy ourselves. I would’ve loved to dance with you.”

“Me, dance?” I pursed my lips, shaking my head.

“Ah, don’t be like that. We can’t, anyway, so at least pretend you would’ve loved to.”

“It would’ve been grand.”

She kissed me on the cheek. “Next time.”

My smile was forming when I turned to look around, then froze as my eyes took in the area through a door that was just closing. An off-limits area with guards at the doors near the grand piano in the corner. The movement of the door was arrested for a moment and I saw two men there talking, and the view that had stalled my smile amplified, zooming in thanks to my transmutation powers.

A woman with silver hair pulled up in a bun, her red dress leaving little to the imagination. She wasn’t bad to look at, although she had to be on the older side. There was a strange familiarity about her, an attraction, even, so I stepped closer, amplifying my vision even more to get a better look.

When I saw her face, I froze.

Fatiha.

But it wasn’t just her that caught me off guard. It was the Chinese girl at her side, the short one with the Princess Leia hairdo. She wore a dress that almost looked like she’d thrown a sheet over herself and wrapped it around to look like a dress.

“I’ve seen her before,” I said, nudging Steph.

“Fatiha?”

“Of course, but I meant the one next to her.” Gulping as I saw the girl’s eyes dart toward me, the room seemingly growing a hint of red. “In my last dream with Aerona. That girl was there. The one I told you about.”

Something moved from the girl. Shadows that nobody else saw but me. Shadows that looked like little creatures, moving along the walls and ceiling, scurrying toward me.

“Run,” I hissed, but turned to find Steph grabbing me, already starting to flee.

112

Screams filled the Embassy, shots fired somewhere in the distance. A distraction? My gargoyles moving in, having sensed danger? Either way, Steph and I ran hand in hand, working to get away from the pursuing shadows and the room where we had seen Fatiha and the Chinese girl.

We hadn’t taken more than a few steps when a hand motioned to me. A worried face and tendrils of light-blue came to life, glowing, forming spiderweb-style patterns in the walls that then shot out and formed a barrier behind us. The shadows couldn’t pass, instead scurrying along the other side, looking for an entry point.

“With me,” the man said, and turned, opening doors, sprinting and leading us along corridors before darting down a staircase.

He came to a halt and we followed him into a room that seemed to be some sort of security monitoring station. The door slammed shut and he locked it before turning to us.

“Whoa, there,” I said, hands up, ready to fight if need be.

“She wasn’t supposed to be here,” the man said, hands out to show he meant no harm. “Neither of them.”

“What do you mean?”

“Fatiha and… Megha.” The man’s eyes roamed over us, as if that second name was supposed to mean something. It didn’t… at first. But as Steph’s eyes widened, the name hit me as well.

“One of the group from Avalon,” Steph said. “I’ve heard that name before.”

He nodded.

“Shit.” Steph turned to me, frantic. “Fatiha and Megha both here… this is bad.”

The thought that it had been this Megha woman in the dream made this all even more disconcerting.

“Maybe more of them are here, too.” The man motioned to several security cameras, where we could see the hallway we had just come through. No signs of the shadows. Then the view cut to the other room, the one where we had seen Fatiha. She was there, sure enough, but the other one, Megha, was not.

“I don’t see her,” I said.

“Neither do the rest of the guests.” The man indicated a spot on the screen. “But she’s there, looking for you. What the camera can’t see, neither can the normies.”

“Who are you?”

“A friend of Galahad’s,” the man replied. “Our patron was supposed to be here, but plans had to be rearranged last minute.”

“You’re with the Order?” Steph asked.

He nodded, then shook his head.

“Which is it?” I asked.

“I was, once.” Eyeing us a moment, he waved a hand and said, “Suffice it to say, the Order has been infiltrated. Some good remains, but some bad. I have friends there—friends who wanted to ensure I reach you before the others do. You have the Liahona?”

“Not with me,” I lied, in a sense. While it wasn’t with me, I could always summon it now, thanks to Rianne.

“Good. Bringing it out would be reckless. But the point remains, you have it, and based on what is unfolding, I will assume you’ve restored Avalon. I can feel its connection already—no need to answer.”

I nodded anyway.

“How could Galahad invite us here knowing—” Steph started

Our benefactor held up a hand. “He had no idea Fatiha would be here. It doesn’t make sense, and with Megha on top of that. We need to move on, because my protective charm won’t hold long. Not against the likes of them.”

“And you are?” I asked.

“Merely a friend,” he replied, already leading us through another exit. “Name’s Lex.”

Great. A very trustworthy name. I frowned, but didn’t have much of an option here—it was either go along with him or turn and fight. While fighting didn’t worry me too much, I’d had my gargoyles at