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

Order had made a wall of fire, one that caught the majority of the other half of the Order members, the traitorous ones, in its flames.

To hear their screams was sickening, and I was glad to have the explosions of magic to drown them out. Flashes of magical power came at me, or so I thought, but quickly realized it was my magic sending me a warning. Spells were about to come my way, and I needed to be ready.

In a flash, I used my power to bring myself down. There I sprang left, dragging my staff along the ground to create a line, then again and again, creating a binding rune. When completed, Moronoe was hit by its effect, her next spell failing to come through. She cursed as a hit from Fatiha got her with a blast of green in the chest.

When her eyes met mine, they were green with lines of the same spreading along her skin.

“You think it’ll be so easy, simple Rune Waker?” She knelt and created a rune that defended her against the next attack from Fatiha, but a third didn’t come. We both looked up to search for Fatiha, but she had taken advantage of the distraction and abandoned that attack for a more strategic move—catching the others of the Nine with Moronoe, she had them on their backs, hand to her amulet, absorbing them with a cackling laugh.

“No…” Moronoe muttered, but turned her anger on me, creating a new rune that caused me to freeze in place.

For a moment I felt helpless, defeated, until I remembered that runes didn’t have to be physical. Going into my mind, I performed a counter rune, hoping it wouldn’t be the one to drag me into insanity. Almost done with the last stroke, though, pain took hold along with visions of me with a blade, slaughtering Steph.

My own insanity, or images put there by the enemy?

I didn’t have to find out, because a moment later Glitonea was at my side, moving in flashes of purple and creating a new series of runes that both set me free and sent a wave of counter spells at Moronoe.

Not wanting to go up against the combined rune power of Glitonea and me, Moronoe leaped into the air, dark sphere growing around her.

She glanced my way, tossing Yenifer aside when the large gargoyle tried to attack her, and then froze as Fatiha appeared from behind, one hand on the amulet and the other wrapping around to cup the woman’s breast.

“It’s a sensual thing, this taking of your life and soul, absorbing your powers,” Fatiha said, and licked Moronoe’s ear as she eyed me.

“Then by all means, seduce me,” Moronoe replied.

A glow emanated from Fatiha’s hand, coursing through Moronoe at first, but a confused look came over Fatiha. Her hand started shaking, then crumbling apart, bits of it breaking off and floating off at first, then circling in the air around her.

“What… magic… is this?” Fatiha demanded.

“Magic you could never understand,” Moronoe replied, grinning, turning and taking her in a kiss that absorbed the woman into herself, all of her and all of the magic she had stolen as well. “The magic of Avalon.”

“No,” I shouted, waving my hand and trying to dismiss the Liahona, break off my connection to Avalon. But, it didn’t go anywhere. It was like she had thrust her foot into a closing door, so that it was stuck.

All around us a new wave of the lion-rhinos were up and charging through the walls of flame, absorbing the energy of the fire and growing in size and ferocity. Each one now reminded me of the bull at the end of The Last Unicorn, and Moronoe was floating toward me, a sensual smile on her lips, hands roaming along her body, touching herself as if she really felt the extra power coursing through her.

I had only one option here, one thought of how to save the others, how to possibly take this fight to equal grounds.

Thrusting the Liahona forward, I said, “Take it,” only to pull back as she reached, embracing her desire for the magic, and pulling both of us into Avalon.

147

Moronoe was, by all measures, likely the most powerful magical being in existence at that point. To my knowledge, anyway. She had not only been incredibly strong to begin with, but she had now absorbed Fatiha and through her, those who Fatiha had absorbed.

Like the others and the late Fatiha, she wanted access to Avalon.

Therefore, it was a great risk to bring her to that magical land. A risk I had to take, because to stay in my home world, I was certain, would have led to certain defeat for us.

Judging by her laughter, however, she didn’t see it that way.

“Thank you,” she said, strolling out in front of me, appearing for the first time as a normal woman, not some mystical witch or divine spirit. Upon arriving in this land, her clothes had transformed into a flowing gown of lavender with violet highlights, silky and clinging to her body as the breeze blew past.

She eyed me, then gazed back at the green hills.

“You still have a defensive stance to you,” she noted, “so I’ll assume this isn’t a surrender?”

“Correct.”

“And, as stunning as I am, I don’t seem to be having any effect on you in that regard, so I’ll assume this isn’t a move on your part to accept me as your lover and partner in this endeavor.” She paused, but held up a hand before I could answer. “Because I must say, that is still on the table. And, knowing what you know of me and my power, it would be prudent to consider the offer.”

“Knowing what I know of you is exactly why I cannot consider the offer.”

She snarled at this. “Oh, come now. Your little team of girls has been any better than me?”

“Not perfect, but we’re a team. We’ll grow together.”

“Blind devotion is stupidity.”

“And lack of devotion, what is that?”