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

Three men entered, all looking like Secret Service agents, and brushed their necks to show the marks.

“Shit, not in here,” I said, then indicated the sinks. “Mind if I wash, first?”

They seemed caught off-guard by that question, so I went ahead and washed my hands, but at the same time pressed my hand to the sink, using the connection to the building to seal off the door and not let anyone else in.

Turning to them, I smiled. “Now, let’s get an answer. Whose side are you on?”

“Not like this,” Galahad said.

“I want to know.”

“And if we cause a scene, it’s all—”

“Speak,” I told the three.

The shortest one, an African-American man with wild eyes, took a step toward me. I was ready for an attack, but he simply held out a hand.

“You have it all wrong,” he said. “It’s not about sides.”

I considered, looking back at Galahad who shook his head, then I stepped forward and accepted the handshake. As I should have expected, it wasn’t only a handshake, but a glimpse into their world. Because suddenly, standing before me weren’t three men, but three fantasy creatures. The one whose hand I was shaking suddenly had tusks, green skin, and yellow eyes. Behind him stood a Drow, white hair pulled back into a ponytail, with the third being what looked like a half-stone troll.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“We’re here to tell you that it’s not what you think. The Order—”

“Is infiltrated by the likes of you!” Galahad interrupted, lunging forward and breaking the grip. As soon as my hand wasn’t touching the man’s, the three looked like human agents again.

“Enough,” I said, hand held out to Galahad. His eyes narrowed, but I turned back to the three strangers. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“We’re not all gone. The Order was set up to find and protect the Liahona, but… more than that. Many of its members were there for a larger reason—to avoid the loss of our people. Of all people not human. If any of our side supports the enemy, it’s only for survival.”

“Fuck. I… Galahad, is this true?”

Galahad was still glaring at me. “They are the enemy.”

“Shit.” I ran my hand through my hair. “We need to talk to someone, figure this out, and—”

“You can’t, there’s nothing to figure out.”

“If I may,” the closest agent said, only there was no time, because in that moment Galahad lashed out at them and the nearby wall exploded inward.

Not having expected either of those things to happen, I was thrown to the floor by the explosion, ears ringing and totally discombobulated. A group of what looked like senators, interns, and agents were shooting at another group, a shimmering bubble between us and others in the halls beyond.

I pushed myself up, wondering what the hell was happening as I spun and muttered defensive spells. As far as I was concerned, this other group had come to me for help. They hadn’t attacked, and had in fact revealed information that, for some reason, Galahad seemed to be holding back.

Whatever was happening here, I didn’t like it.

“Get them out of here!” a new group of agents was saying as more explosions sounded. My first day at the Senate, and of course, we were under attack. More than likely, Fatiha had tracked me and figured this was the best way to take me out.

I should have known nothing would go easy. There I was, thinking that the hardest part of the experience at the Senate would be remembering to not sound like a jackass.

The worst part was that I didn’t have my team. Charging through halls and ducking through meeting rooms, I was very much reminded of this fact. No Shisa to protect me with his defensive magic, no Ebrill to heal me if I needed it.

An explosion went off up ahead and I prepared a chant, but Galahad moved up next to me, gesturing me into a side room as guards advanced past us.

“Best not to give away anything unless absolutely necessary,” he said.

“This doesn’t feel like that time to you?” I countered, pointing to a burst of flames from the far end of the hall.

He shook his head and we moved into a hall that descended into a tunnel. A sort of panic area, I guess. Two guards charged in from a side hall, shouting for us to stay put. Before I could argue, a third guided us into a room with yellow walls and old, brown couches. In the corner, a small television was tuned into news coverage, someone already starting to report what was happening.

“We enter a state of emergency as what seems like a terrorist attack on the Russell Senate Office Building is taking place,” the reporter.

“Fucking ‘terrorists?’” I scoffed, trying to poke my head out to see what was what.

“Sir, please stay away from the doors,” the guard said.

Finding my way back to Galahad, I asked, “What happened to only attacking at night?”

“That’s when they’re strongest, but it doesn’t mean they can’t attack during the day.”

“Still, what the fuck?” I leaned back, readying myself to charge out there on the offensive. If their power was fueled by the night and darkness, while mine wasn’t affected in that way, mostly, I had an advantage here. “I’m not about to sit back and let others die for me.”

“We have a role to play here, Senator, and it’s not that of infantry or pawn.”

I didn’t like the way he had said, “Senator.” It sounded more like “Servant” to me. Glancing back at him, I shook my head, then moved toward a sign that showed where the restrooms were.

“This is my role,” I said, annoyed that he was following.

As soon as I stepped past the doors, I looked around to ensure we were alone, then put my hand to the wall and created my way out of there.

“Senator, you can’t—” Galahad started, catching up with me.

“I must. Stay here if you want, or join me.”

He cursed, glanced back, and then followed me into the tunnel I