by Jamie Hawke
Not that I would, but imagining their reactions was fun. At the thought of Ebrill so close, I had to change how I was sitting so the bulge forming wouldn’t be so obvious. Fatiha noticed and gave me a humored glance.
“Shouldn’t we be, I don’t know, trying to find other ways to wake Kordelia?” I asked, trying to get the focus off me.
“Want to get me back there, is that it? Just the…” She froze, licked her lips, then muttered, “Shit.”
“What?”
“It’s… I took one of my medications earlier. Has this added effect of making me say things.”
“Like just now.”
She cocked her head and nodded. Then eyed me closely, waiting for me to say something. Suddenly, she was up and motioning to the waiter. “Check, please.”
We left without another word about it. I wondered if the moment had been her hitting on me or something else. At her age, it felt off, but… kind of hot? The longer the silence continued, though, the more certain I was that it was exactly what happened. She wanted me, or at least her medication made her think she did.
I glanced over. Her eyes met mine, and we shared an awkward smile.
“So… what now?” I asked.
“When night falls, we try to wake the second, like you said.”
The elevator door dinged open and we exited, turning right to make our way over along Fifteenth Street. Of course, I had meant what would happen between the two of us, but I left it alone. If she wanted to pretend it hadn’t happened, I could do that.
“I’m getting an ice cream,” Fatiha said, indicating the ice cream cart on the corner. Considering the heat, it sounded perfect. “Then maybe a drink, in Gertrude’s memory. You?”
“I’ll go for the ice cream,” I said. Grieving didn’t come easy for me, considering I had barely known the woman. While Fatiha was doing a good job masking her emotions, her eyes showed that she was clearly distraught, so I added, “My treat.”
“Don’t you start.” She waved me away and pulled out a purse stuffed with cash and cards. “If there’s one area we won’t have to worry about, it’s money.”
I nodded, not sure if I had ever seen so much money in one place. Upon seeing the surprise on my face, she shrugged. “Your aunt has always been very generous. Now that she’s gone, maybe more so. Her remnant—let’s call it that—gave me instructions after you left. She wanted her fortune to go on for the two of us. To pursue what she started, but never managed to finish.”
“Meaning, I’m rich but can’t use it.”
She chuckled, nodding. “You can, but draw too much attention to yourself and you’ll likely be dead by the next morning. We need to focus on the objective—find the Liahona before the enemy, and ensure it can never be used by them.”
“Ensure how?”
She weighed me up with a penetrating look before turning back to the road, and replying, “Do what those of old never could do. Destroy it.”
“If it’s so powerful, couldn’t we use it to defeat the enemy?”
She shook her head. “It has a way of affecting its user. Making the best of us mad for power.”
“So, we get it, destroy them, then destroy it. Yeah? But how does it work, and how do we destroy it? Throw it into Mt. Doom, I’m guessing.”
The reference was lost on her, as she shook her head. “I don’t know of any such mountain, but no, and I don’t have the answer to that question.”
With a solemn nod, I cleared my throat and looked out at the many sweaty tourists, a statue of a man on a horse, and several protesters in front of the White House. All of those people thought what they were doing was important, and that this building they were looking at housed one of the most powerful men in the world. How little they knew. According to what I was hearing, the mission I was taking on was of more importance than anything any president had ever done and had the potential to give me more power than anyone.
An overwhelming thought, for sure.
“That should do,” Fatiha said, eyes lingering on my face longer than seemed natural. After a moment, she said, “You know, you have some of her in you.”
“My aunt?”
She nodded. “Maybe it’s the magic, the sense of adventure in what’s about to come. I don’t know. But, I see it.”
I smiled and turned back to watch the activists on the White House lawn.
“Come on,” she said, indicating the sun’s low position in the sky. “Best get back before dark.”
“They won’t be waiting anymore?”
“Oh, they might be. I’m hoping they’ve thinned out, but also, I’ve had time to come up with a plan.” She grinned, pushed herself up, and then offered me a hand. I nodded, pushed myself up on my own, and followed her back to the car.
82
Fatiha passed a corner where the house was visible, paused at the stop sign, and kept going two more blocks. Deep shadows already spread out across lawns, sunset nearly upon us.
“What I don’t get,” I said as we exited the car, “is why they didn’t come after me right away when I left the house.”
“They actually believed they had a shot at converting you, is my only guess.” She checked around and indicated a way through a stranger’s yard. We moved at a brisk pace.
“So, you think they have the place on constant watch?”
“I can’t see why they wouldn’t, at this point.”
“Tarian,” I said, making the gesture and feeling glad about my defense going up. As I was about to cast another, Fatiha put a hand on my forearm and shook her head. “No need.”
“But if we’re going up against them…”
“Gertrude was smart—at times I thought paranoid—but, it turns out… smart.” Indicating for me to follow, she led me along a stone wall that led to a vine-covered wall. We hopped over the stones to the grass on the other side and then started running in a crouch. We ducked behind two trees in a clump of willows. “Smart, because she made secret passages.”
At that, Fatiha strode over to the vines, moved something from the base, and then reached past the greenery. A moment later, a section of the wall creaked and she ducked through the vines, vanishing from sight. I looked around and then followed, not sure what to expect.
The vines gave resistance at first, but then I was through, ducking into a narrow walkway between two walls. We soon reached a dead end, but Fatiha kept going, moving the wall to our right to reveal a hole where a ladder led the way down.
“A bit crude, but it serves its purpose.” She went first, me following close behind, and soon we were running along through the basement, coming up into a closet. Fatiha gave me a look as if she were going to pin me against the wall in there and show me her version of seven minutes in heaven, but instead checked the door and led us out. The fantasy about getting with such an older woman felt strange to me, but as I imagined her teaching me with her experience, I couldn’t ignore the temptation… and curiosity.
My first move was to go to one of the front windows, to see what we were dealing with. I stayed close to the curtain, barely peeking out, and saw several pairs of red eyes appear in the shadows of the trees in the neighbors’ yards. The pink of the sky had faded to a dull, dark blue, meaning we had made it in at the perfect time.
“No more wandering off, agreed?” Fatiha demanded. When I nodded, she said, “Good. Go check on your friend so you’re there when she wakes. Get her up to speed while I check on your aunt.”
“On her remnant, you mean.”
“Ah, right. Yes.”
I watched her walk off, wondering if I should be worried, but then jogged up to my room. Night was nearly upon us, after all. A cracking sounded at the exact moment I entered. Ebrill stretched as the glow faded from her eyes, and she turned in bed to look at me.
“What’re you doing way over there?” she asked.
“I…” I started but didn’t know what to say when she motioned me over. For a moment, I stood there, enthralled by the seductive look in her eyes, then
I walked over, brushed aside some stone, and sat next to her.
She sat up and wrapped her arms around me. “I missed you.”
“Ebrill, we… I mean…”
The look of realization in her eyes told me exactly what was happening. She must have had a dream about me, one where we were more than real life. Maybe even one where we had been intimate?
Cocking my head with that thought in mind, I looked at her. She blushed and looked away.
“Tell me about your dream,” I said, teasing.
Her eyes met mine and she said, “Tell me about yours, first.”
I sat up, pulling away slightly. “Wait, you… it was you, wasn’t it?”
She gulped, then nodded. “I don’t remember much, but now… now I remember that day when you showed up. You were a mystery, causing such a stir, only to fade away. Much is still a blur, but, the way you looked at me. Of course, I’ve had dreams of you since then, you and your sultry eyes.” She turned, took my face in her hands, and stared into my eyes. Hers, I now noticed, were more of a purple than the dark brown I had originally thought them to be. Purple to match her lips, which were moving toward me. She gently placed a kiss on my cheek, then smiled as she pulled back.
“That place,” I said, dazed, “do you know what it was?”
She sighed, shaking her head. “I’m getting bits and pieces. Just images, but I’m certain we were searching.”
“For the Liahona.”
She perked up. “Yes, exactly. You…you’ve been busy?”
“There’s someone I think you should meet.” Taking her by the hand and guiding her up, as apparently, we were close enough for that now, I led her out of there, but paused. “Sorry, do you… I’ve been running around all day. One minute, okay?”
I ran into the bathroom, took a quick piss—which was hard to do, considering the semi-chub she had left me with after that kiss—washed my hands, and headed back to her.
“Good?” she asked, and I realized I had totally not even thought about closing the door.
“Er, before when you were stone, I hadn’t bothered. And I guess I didn’t think…”
“You were walking around naked while I was stone? A bit creepy.”
I laughed. “Sorry?”
“Well, creepy and sort of sexy.” She shrugged, took my hand again, and gestured for me to lead the way.
“Okay, so while you were sleeping, a few things happened,” I told her, and went into my day, finishing up with us arriving in the dining room, where Fatiha waited.
“This is the one?” Ebrill asked, but Fatiha stood frozen, serving tray in hand, jaw dropping as she stared.
“Yes, and she’s not usually so… awestruck?”
“Sorry,” Fatiha said, snapping out of it. “Please, help yourself to the food. You must be famished. Wow, a real, live gargoyle here at my table.”
“At your pleasure,” Ebrill said with a slight curtsy, then started picking at some grapes, before eyeing the cheese and sliced corned beef.
“My apologies, I just threw together whatever I could find.”
“It’s perfect.” Ebrill found a seat, wings folding halfway behind her, and continued to eat, eyes going back and forth between us as we stared. “So…We need a plan.”
“Maybe we should speak with Gertrude, see what she can tell us?” Fatiha offered.
“Wait, your aunt?” Ebrill asked me.
“Did I forget that part?” I grimaced. “Well, she did pass on, sort of, but left something of herself behind. A remnant, you could say.”
“That’s… powerful magic.”
“It is,” Fatiha confirmed. “Which is why I think it’s important that Jericho keeps learning from her, as much as possible.”
“And the Liahona?” Ebrill asked. “Have we located it?”
Fatiha shook her head. “But if you’ve awoken, I would say we’re one step closer as a team. We know they will attack again tonight, likely with stronger forces. We must prepare, but first, Jericho, your aunt is waiting to speak with you.”
The idea of conversing with a remnant of my aunt gave me the willies, but I nodded and glanced toward the hallway that led to where I had last seen her.
“That won’t be necessary,” Fatiha said, pulling the jade tree from her pocket and running her finger along it.
Green light shone along the branches, swirling around and creating a space before forming into the figure of my aunt. She took on her natural colors, clothes and all, and eyed first me, then Ebrill.
“Well, I’ll be…” Excitement shone in her eyes and she moved forward as if to touch Ebrill to see if she was real, but her hand moved right through the gargoyle. “Ah, right. Me… I’m the one not exactly real.” Turning back to me, she continued to wear her excited smile. “But you’ve done it. Tell me how.”
“It wasn’t much,” I admitted. “Simply willed it and told her to awaken.”
“That’s… strange.” My aunt lost her smile, until looking back at Ebrill again. “And you? You must be excited to get back to your sisters, to join the fight.”
Ebrill bit her lower lip, looking to me for help. “I don’t exactly…”
“Her memory is coming back in pieces,” I explained.
“You must find the Llyfr Sillafu, learn what spells you can—”
“Already one step ahead of you on that,” I interrupted. “And actually, I’ve been able to sort of scan some of the pages, to see which ones are at my skill level, in a sense.”
My aunt nodded, like she was proud of me, and said, “Well then. Perhaps I fill you in on what I can while you finish your meal, then it’s back to practicing.”
“I would like that.”
She looked us over, considering. “Perhaps it’s best if I tell you only what is necessary, for now. I have seen glimpses of what is to come and know better than to spoil that future. What you need to know is that we are up against a great evil. It was contained for many years, but the bonds that held it are breaking. The dark magic is returning, although it can be harnessed by both sides—dark magic isn’t inherently evil, but it has the power to easily corrupt.”
“So, these attacks are coming because the doors are about to open?” I asked.
“It would seem that way.”
“Can’t we just go back and stop it somehow?”
“He has a point,” Ebrill added. “He’s been going back, affecting things. What if—”
“He will,” my aunt cut in. “And it won’t largely change things in the way you’re thinking, but will make all the difference in the battle that is to come.”
We spoke more on the subject, but mostly she filled us in on her travels to uncover the gargoyles. She had only gathered two so far, but there were papers in what she had passed on that included the right pieces, she believed—clues toward finding at least two more, along with other potential allies.
Soon, we were done. Ebrill and I tried for Kordelia again before training, but no luck. Since we were already on the rooftop, we figured that was as good a place as any to practice. I first went around and practiced my spell for the barrier wards, ensuring they were still up, then went over the spells I knew. Tarian for defensive boosts, which I found worked on Fatiha and Ebrill as well, and Elfenol Streic for the elemental strike.
“Try this,” Fatiha said, breaking off a metal rod that was loose from the fence. It had likely gotten knocked free during last night’s fighting. She tossed it over, and I caught it smoothly.
“As in…?”
“With the elemental strike.”
I looked at the rod, said, “Elfenol Streic,” and then twisted to go for fire and watched as the metal burst into flame. It was hot but didn’t burn me, the spellcaster. With a pleased grin, I waved it around, only stopping when my gaze landed on the spot where the witch corpse had been earlier. “She’s gone.”
“Who?” my aunt asked.
“A witch’s body,” I explained.
Fatiha smiled, knowingly. “Something your aunt set up, w
isely.”
“Ah, yes.” My aunt beamed with pride. “Nothing much, just a little spell that basically allows the house to absorb our enemies for its own power. As it strengthens the wards, it needs power. In this way, if we are attacked, we see benefits.”
I laughed, not sure whether to be impressed or grossed out. Both worked. “You’re saying… the house literally eats our enemies.”
“Absorbs their energy,” my aunt corrected, but then nodded. “But yes, basically. If someone is attacking us, it’ll start the moment they are within the range of the spell—basically the grounds—although the more powerful they are, the slower the process.”
“Unless they’re dead,” Fatiha added.
Ebrill was looking between the two, more excited as they spoke. “So, you’re both… what, witches?”
“I was,” my aunt replied, sending me a sensation like a punch to the chest.
“And me, not so much,” Fatiha said.
“Wait, really?” I put a hand to my mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so surprised, it’s just that I figured…”
Fatiha gave me a forgiving smile. “I like to help. Do what I can without getting my hands dirty.”
“So, you’re like Tonto,” I said. “Or… Alfred.”
“You fancy yourself Batman, now?” Fatiha laughed. “Wow, you all seeing how fast that ego grows?”
My aunt’s remnant chuckled.
“What’s a Batman?” Ebrill asked.
“A superhero,” I replied, but then thought about it. “Er, like a witch, but in this case, he uses fun gadgets instead of powers or magic.”
“So, like a knight?”
Now it was my turn to laugh. “Yes, a dark knight. I’ll show you sometime. For now,” I turned back to my aunt, and held up my hand to bring up the screen with the spells I had scanned. “What are we thinking for next ones to try?”
“Are you seeing a gauge of your leveling?” Fatiha asked.
