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

where explosions and flames were shooting out from something I couldn’t quite see.

“How is this any different than Hell?” she asked.

I grinned. “You clearly have no idea what people like me consider fun or not. Check this out.”

And, right on cue, there came a prancing unicorn farting rainbows. My laughter echoed that of the psycho with his skag meat, and was amplified by the look of confusion on Moronoe’s face. As loot started falling out along with rainbow farts, a bunch of psychos charged in, knives and guns at the ready, and many looking like they were going to attack Moronoe. That’s when I ran. My plan was to ditch the bitch, trap her in some mental land where she would get lost in her own insanity.

So far, my mental fight was succeeding. I was down and sliding along pipes Mario-style, then shooting through the sky as if I’d been sling-shotted out and was an angry bird.

“What is this?” Moronoe’s voice echoed out from far off, and I had to laugh.

“Me, showing you the way.”

“You think this is a game, boy?” She flashed up in front of me, suddenly grabbing me by the neck and pulling so that I thought my larynx would come free. Instead, my instincts took over, magic pushing out and throwing her aside so that all of our surroundings flashed bright, and then it was over.

136

I was out of the mind games, gone. Back to the car, with Galahad watching me, hands folded in his lap. “She really is something, isn’t she?”

“What’s that?” I sat up, blinking, pulling myself from the grogginess.

“Moronoe. You said her name more than once, so I figured. Gave her a run for her money?”

“You could say that.”

“Sounds about right.” He shifted in his seat, leaning toward me. “If this is going to happen, you need to find a way to keep her out. Permanently.”

“Easy. Kill her.”

Anguish filled his expression and he started rocking back and forth, hand on his face. A groan emitted from deep inside him, and for a moment I wondered if he would transform into a demon or some monster I’d have to take down.

“You don’t understand…” He was sunk down in his seat, now, with his face in his hands. “She was the best of them, the best of us.”

“Us?”

Looking up at me again, his eyes were furious, glowing red. Only, they flashed, overtaken by gold as a golden diamond lit up on his neck, and then the red eyes were gone.

“Yes, Jericho. I was one of them—in love with them, once. That was before everything went south, before Percival and the others left, and long before they served Steph. It was a different time, one when we spoke of changing the world.”

“For the better?”

He considered this. “I thought so, for a spell. Then, I saw the light and left. You don’t understand. Moronoe is built for greatness. She oozes it!”

“I don’t want to think of her oozing anything, to be honest.”

Galahad’s hand balled up into a fist and his eyes showed a hint of flashing red again, but then he slid back into his seat, eyes closed and breathing deep.

“Are you—we—going to be okay?” I asked after letting the silence hold for a moment.

“Yes.”

That was all the answer I received until we pulled up at the senator’s house. As I went for the door, Galahad grabbed my wrist, eyes wide, beseeching me.

“Look, it’s not going to be easy. But… whatever happens, know that I’m on your side. The others, the marks… I’ll do my best to see it your way.”

“Whatever happens,” I replied with a nod, eyes moving to his hand on my wrist. He let go, and we made our way inside.

“I’m going to have to go back to Gertrude’s place,” I said.

He nodded. “Then back here as soon as you can. We have more learning for you here.”

My sigh didn’t hide my exasperation one bit. “You can’t be serious. We were just attacked. Learning the names of senators hardly seems important at a time like this.

“Not that kind of learning,” he replied with a wink.

137

While I was anxious to see what sort of training Galahad had in mind, my need to check on my team far outweighed it. However, the recent spat with Moronoe had given me something I could work with, something I was excited to try out.

As we approached Gertrude’s house, I closed my eyes and brought myself back to the first location Moronoe had held me in my mind. Not exactly on my brain, but in the place that was my subconscious. For a brief moment I felt her presence sensing me, attempting to enter again, but I was prepared for that and acted fast.

Quickly visualizing the place and finding myself beside that same rune circle she had originally created, I brought up my screen and found defensive runes, patterns I’d been able to make since last time. Forming those runes into the ground of my mind, I enhanced them with amplification runes. While I was at it, I figured that applying other protective runes would make sense. Outside of the main protective circle, I set up amplification runes and elemental runes.

As I did so, my screen popped up and showed new skills available, related to elemental strikes. My need to say “Elfenol Streic” was no longer necessary, or so I assumed by what the screen was showing me. More than that, it was like I had a magical barrier around me. Shit, if it was this easy I’d apply every rune I could think of.

Halfway through the application of the next rune, however, pain caused me to freeze up. Every muscle in my body cramped, and I fell to the ground, shaking.

“No more,” Mizoa said.

I turned, confused to see her standing there. Fully clothed, this time.

“How did you…?” I glanced over at the runes.

“Because I’m on your side, for one. What you’ve set up are defensive runes, runes that will definitely keep Moronoe from trying one of her