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

on her heel over what looked like a bull. As we got closer, I saw that it was a bull reared up on its hind legs, yellow on a shield of blue.

“They’re destroying it,” I noted, seeing that the area had been worn down, a bit of a hole even where the bull’s testicles would’ve once been.

“For good luck,” Elisa explained.

“Please don’t ever step on my balls for good luck.”

That earned some chuckles, but Elisa shrugged. “It’s the Turin Coat of Arms. Although many don’t know where the tradition started… I do.”

“And you’re going to explain it, I suppose?” Red asked, frowning. Apparently, she wasn’t much into this kind of stuff. I was, however, so waited anxiously.

“As a matter of fact, Red, it directly relates to our next move. You see, a Legend named Salvatore—Tore, for short, founded that city as a port to fight against Myths long ago. He actually had grand plans to form an empire, go out and attack humans… but fell in love, instead. It changed him, made him see the error in his ways… and he even went Myth for a while. That is, until she was killed. Ever since, he’s been in hiding, to a degree.”

“So they stomp on his balls to teach him a lesson?” Sharon asked, chuckling.

“Not stomp, step on and spin. They don’t know it, but it’s how we would summon him—a man’s soul being directly connected to his groin, as we know.”

“Um, what?” I asked, but held up a hand. “Never mind, continue.”

“Somehow tourists picked up the practice, though for them it doesn’t work, of course.” Elisa motioned us forward, so that we could take our turn on the bull’s balls. “Let’s see if it still works for us.”

When the old lady and her family in front of us had each had their turn, Elisa smiled and motioned me forward. “Would you like to do the honors?”

“Summon an ancient being by crushing his nuts?” I laughed. “No thanks.”

“My cup of tea,” Red said, and stepped forward. Grinning at me as she did, she put her heel on the bull’s groin and spun. It hurt thinking about it, and I wondered why she was doing that while looking at me. Not cool.

A couple of other tourists passed, smiling at it all, and apparently not noticing the way the tiles of the mosaic started to glow, then ripple across the floor to a corner of the shopping center darker than the rest. They didn’t notice the man suddenly standing there, glaring at us, nor the horns on his head.

But we did.

“Looks like it worked,” Elisa said, leading us over to him.

He looked furious to have been summoned, and was glancing around, seemingly prepared for some sort of assault or trap. His hair was slicked back between the horns but he wore old sweats, as if he’d likely been relaxing in some hideaway.

“It’s been too long, Tore,” Elisa said when we stopped a few paces from him.

“Never long enough,” he replied. “If I recall, it was your brothers who were to blame for—”

“Don’t you dare,” Elisa said, quickly closing the gap between them and snatching him by the collar and suddenly seeming to stand over him, tall and imposing. “They sacrificed too much that day, and largely because of you.”

“We all have our faults,” he snarled, nostrils flaring. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“We’re looking for someone.”

“You know my stance on the war… you know I’m done with it.”

“And I know you have a grasp on who comes and goes from this place. King Arthur’s here… I want you to tell me where.”

Tore didn’t show surprise, so I figured he already knew this. He also didn’t offer up any information at first, but when he saw Sekhmet step forward, then turned his eyes on me and Excalibur, he arched an eyebrow.

“Arthur, you say?” He grunted. “I don’t know about him, but where he goes, you know the Lady won’t be far behind.”

“The Lady of the Lake,” Elisa said, nodding. “Where?”

“Last I heard, there was activity up around Lake Como. Might want to stop bothering me and go find out for yourselves.”

“Lake Como it is then.” Elisa finally let him go, taking a step back, eyes focused on his. “What aren’t you telling us?”

“That you can go fuck yourselves,” he said. “Lake Como is where you’ll find her, and you know as well as I do she’s the key to finding Arthur.”

With that he turned counterclockwise and vanished.

“No luck?” I asked.

Elisa grinned at me. “Not from him, not anymore. But at least we have an answer.”

“I don’t like it,” Sekhmet said. “Our tracking is telling us he’s here, not… where’s this lake?”

“A bit north. Your magic is accurate enough to know he’s not there?”

“It is.”

“But still, if the Lady of the Lake is…”

“We don’t have a choice,” Red said.

Elisa nodded, glancing around, taking a moment to look at the nearby shops with their high-end jewelry and clothing.

“It’s a shame. I’d hoped to get a chance to upgrade our wardrobes.”

Pucky laughed. “There’s always tomorrow.”

With that, we headed back out of there, making our way for the train station again. Not before, I was relieved to find out, making a stop at a small pizzeria and grabbing some thin slices—as they all were there—to go.

I’ll just say this: New York slices had nothing on them.

40

Elisa, not surprisingly, spoke Italian and was able to navigate, along with being able to pull out currency from one of the banks. She gave us each some money, saying it was in case we got split up and there was an emergency.

I loved watching the Italian houses and countryside flash by, with houses built into the hillsides in patches of yellow with red roofs, others out on their own in what was clearly the more luxurious part of the area.

Going through a tunnel, I felt a kiss on my cheek and turned to see Pucky curling up against me. Her arm wrapped around my midsection, and she watched as