Gremlin Night by Dale Smith (top 10 non fiction books of all time txt) 📕

will blame himself for his actions, but he is blameless.

The little one I place in the charge of the first good souls to find it, to aid and care for it, not matter what new form it takes. For all creatures, human and manifestation alike, possess souls, no matter what the Councils claim.

I die to banish the darkness here.

I closed my eyes. Even after it had been discharged, even after the parchment had been emptied of mana, the power of her sacrifice magic thrummed through me, and made my guts churn and my bones ache.

The brownie cried out, a wail that built to a high, piercing sound. It clung tightly to my leg.

“I don’t want to go!” It wailed. “This house is all the world. Must stay here.”

“We will protect you!” I reached for it, trying to reassure it. A golden glow grew around it, like when you see the glow from a blazing fire behind a hill. My hands tingled, and the tingling became an electric shock. I pulled it back.

The brownie opened its little mouth for one last scream, but blurred into the golden aura. The golden light swirled around, a little tornado of mana. It spun out of the room like a cartoon character. Tully raced after it.

I ran after him.

We reached the ground floor. The tornado spun up, through the ceiling and outside.

“What was that?” I asked Tully.

He looked sad. “A transfiguration. The house brownie has become an elemental manifestation, waiting to take on a new form.”

An elemental. Of course. The house brownie had been freed, but was no longer a house brownie. That’s what Therese had meant when she wrote, no matter what new form it takes.

Therese had been convinced that manifestations had souls like us humans. Me, I didn’t know. What I did know was that Therese had loved that brownie and wanted to save it from being bound to the house. A final gift to her little friend.

“I thought Therese said whoever found the brownie would help it,” Tully pointed out.

“Maybe she just meant our presence would help it become an elemental, get it ready for whatever new manifestation it might become.” Or maybe Therese had merely hoped that would happen. The house brownie obviously had cared for her, and unless I had massively misread the letter, Therese had cared deeply for the brownie.

I rubbed my eye and forced myself to focus on what we needed to do next.“A wizard was here,” I said. “Therese’s last testament said the wizard was cloaked, both physically and magically.”

“That’s possible, but very difficult.”

“Our magical super artifact?” I asked him.

“I don’t know. Maybe, but it still seems pretty close to impossible.”

“Pretty close to impossible isn’t impossible, though,” I pointed out.

Just then, the front door opened. A stunningly beautiful woman wearing a gossamer-thin body veil stood there, and smiled a welcoming smile at Tully and me.

“Playthings, you are mine,” she said.

10

The nymph had blond hair like spun gold, wide, green eyes, a heart-shaped face, and an amazing figure.

I backed up and brandished my binding dagger. “Not so fast, nymph.”

The nymph’s smile widened. “That will not bind me,” she said and sashayed into the house.

Tully drew his R.U.N.E.-issue revolver. The iron-tipped bullets would destroy the manifestation. It would be an ugly end, but effective.

“You cannot resist me,” the nymph said.

The air hummed with her power and whispered an echo of her words.

“Love this woman,” she told Tully.

“Love this woman,” echoed the air.

Tully froze in mid-aim. Sweat broke out on his forehead. His arm shook.

“You are strong, young one,” she said. “But not strong enough. Do as I command.” Tully’s pistol clattered on the hardwood and he turned to face me.

I ran at her, stabbing with my binding knife.

Strong arms reached out and grabbed me. I struggled to slip out of Tully’s grasp, but failed. Tully was even stronger than he looked.

He took the knife from me.

“Love him,” the nymph commanded me. The air’s smell went from a stale, closed up scent, to a strong scent of roses in springtime, on a dew-laden evening when Venus hung in the sky. The kind of night when the mind turned to love and lust.

I shook from the force of it. I ached to embrace Tully. I managed to push my right hand into my jacket even as he reached to pull me close. His eyes had a trapped look. Mine must have looked the same.

He bent down to kiss me. He smelled warm and so alive.

My hand closed on my blood amulet. “Rejection,” I croaked. The short spell was a desperate last second type of spell, used against a manifestation. It was a kind of binding spell, defense against a manifestation attempting to charm a sorcerer. To bind at the human mind, heart, or soul.

Or in this case, all of the above.

Air whooshed and silver light exploded around Tully and me. Just like that, the spell was broken. I staggered back and fell on my backside. Tully also took a step back, squeezing his eyes and blinking.

The nymph’s beautiful face turned ugly and she snarled.

“Now, now,” I said, scooting away from the sudden snarl queen. “You do that long enough, and your face is going to get stuck in that expression.” I scrambled to my feet, my palms slick with sudden sweat.

The snarl faded into a sly grin. “Oh, I have different ways of dealing with humans. I was going to kill you with pleasure, but I see you’d prefer to die the old-fashioned way, in fear and pain!”

She gestured and panic jabbed me. My legs wobbled and my chest ached.

Tully snatched his gun from the floor.

The nymph stroked the air like a lover. His eyes widened and he threw the revolver across the room. He shook himself, trying to fight the fear he also must be feeling.

I needed to bind her, fear or no fear. I pushed myself to move, despite the panic, and snatched up my binding knife from where Tully had dropped it.

The nymph gestured a second