by Jamie Hawke
I nodded, looking at what I’d begun to think of as my XP bar. “Sure. But it doesn’t seem to have gone up much since last time.”
“Diminishing returns,” my aunt said. “My guess is, once you start using your magic for real purposes—battle magic in a real battle, revealing spells and whatnot to actually reveal secrets, you will see jumps in your advancement.”
“Ah, damn. I was kind of hoping I could cast my defense or ward spell over and over and watch those levels rack up, but yeah, that makes sense.” Looking at my spells, I frowned. “Wait a minute, I don’t have any attack spells yet, other than the elemental strike.”
“Which counts, but yes.” My aunt flashed out and then appeared next to me, apparently able to see my screens, as she started scrolling. “There—‘Hurtio.’” She indicated the spell, which showed a simple motion of thrusting my hand forward.
“It… hurts them?” I asked, humored.
“Stuns, actually. At your level, it’s probably the best ‘attack’ spell you’re going to get.”
I tried it but couldn’t tell if it worked.
“Try on me,” Fatiha offered.
Before I had a chance to reply, Ebrill stepped in front of her. “No, I can take more. In case it does hurt, try it on me first.”
Oddly, the look in her eyes made me think she might enjoy it if the spell did hurt.
“It won’t cause any damage,” my aunt said again.
Ebrill shrugged. “In case.”
I chuckled and thrust out my hand, saying, “Hurtio.”
Sure enough, a gust of wind seemed to hit Ebrill and for a moment she was unable to move. It only lasted about a second and then she shook it off and looking at me, impressed.
“Hit them with that, then a strike from that fire baton of yours, and I think we have something.”
“Not a baton,” I said, eying the fence pole. One end of it was sharp, so I could definitely see it being a useful tool. “But, yeah.”
“And your education?” my aunt asked.
“What?”
“I want to know your plans for college.”
I looked at Fatiha and Ebrill for help here, but both were watching me with curiosity.
“Sorry, but all of this seems more important,” I pointed out. “Why is school even being discussed?”
“Your aunt has a good point,” Fatiha said. “This fighting, uncovering secrets, learning more about Ebrill and her friends might all be the priority, but it isn’t your entire life. It’s not going to take up all of your time.”
I frowned, then looked at Ebrill as my mind wandered to some different ways she could use up my time. Then again, maybe they had a point. Fighting and fucking sounded great, but I had to wonder if it would pay the bills.
“Wait a sec.” I turned to my aunt and Fatiha. “Aren’t we set for money? What exactly would be the point of college? Surely, I’m not going to go get some desk job, after.”
“You’ll be taken care of,” my aunt said. “But you have to be smart about it. Have a cover. Spend your time studying matters that will help, and that will keep you prepared to do great things during times of peace, as well. Assuming we have those at some point.”
“This war has been going on for far too long,” Ebrill said.
Fatiha nodded. “Although you have been out, so in fairness we should say the war portion of it only happens whenever one side is growing close to the Liahona.”
“Is that so?”
“On that note, is someone going to tell me more about this thing anytime soon?” I faced my aunt, waiting.
She nodded. “From what I’ve been able to learn… and Ebrill, you might have recalled more by this point?” At a shake of Ebrill’s head, my aunt continued. “Very well. From what I understand, it’s like a key. It opens an access point.”
“To where?”
“Not to where, exactly… To what. Like a vault, in a sense. A vault of power—magic we can’t dream of. Magic…”
“All speculation,” Ebrill interrupted.
“So, you do remember?” Fatiha asked.
Ebrill nodded, slowly. “Bits of it, yes. I remember someone wanted to get their hands on it, and that we couldn’t let them.” Her eyes narrowed, looking intently at each of us in turn, my aunt, then Fatiha. Finally, me. “How do I know you all… I mean—”
“That we’re on the right side of all this?” I asked. “Easy. You know me.”
“Not well.”
“Enough.
“Suffice it to say,” my aunt interjected, “that we’re not your enemy. Your enemy, whomever it was, likely died long ago.”
“Or maybe all sides are the enemy, now, and I’ve been brought back to put an end to it. To ensure nobody ever gets their hands on the Liahona.”
“Ebrill… that’s not the case.” I stepped toward her, hand up, but she pulled away. “I promise you, we’re in this together.”
She was crouched now, as if ready to pounce. As wrong as it was, the sound of an attack actually came as a relief. Nothing like having a common enemy to bring two sides together. An explosion rocked the side of the house, followed by a ball of fire tearing through our magical barriers and exploding on Kordelia’s statue.
One nod from Ebrill, and I knew we were good at least until this was over. Somehow, the enemy had broken through our wards. We needed to find out how, then stop them.
83
“Tell me how they got through the wards,” I shouted, already trying to cast new ones, indicating Kordelia’s statue.
My aunt moved her hands and spoke in what sounded like gibberish but in my head came through as, “Obliterate them.” Nothing happened, as I had figured would be the case. She wasn’t real, exactly, so her spells wouldn’t work. She had apparently forgotten that little fact.
“What worries me more is that this happened after the house absorbed the fallen witch,” Fatiha said, charging over to the hatch to head down. “Meaning something strong is out there, and we’d better get into hiding.”
I took a step to follow, but Ebrill’s eyes showed fright and worry as they darted between the way down and Kordelia’s statue. Clearly, she was torn about leaving it unprotected. This was, after all, a woman she greatly cared about, even if she was now made of stone. Here I was trying to earn her trust, so the last thing I could do was run and leave the statue—and therefore the woman she could in theory become—to be destroyed by whatever monsters were sending magic at us.
“Jericho, you’re not strong enough,” Fatiha said.
My aunt flittered to the edge of the roof and gasped. “They have a Drow.”
“A what?” I asked, racking my brain for what that meant. It hit, then, from some old game my friend had played. “A dark elf?”
“Those who were left behind,” she replied, nodding, a fireball passing through her to hit Kordelia again. “When the world changed, when magic left our lands—they went to live below the surface, uprooting evil and unleashing demons that had slept for millennia before their arrival. To think that they’re involved…” Her eyes went to Ebrill. “You’d better hope we wake Kordelia soon, or there won’t be a Kordelia to wake.”
“We can’t let that happen,” Ebrill said, moving toward the ledge, hand held up with a glowing light coming from it.
“You’d take them all on yourself?” My aunt appeared directly in her path. “We can’t lose you, and with what they likely have down there… I don’t think you’d make it.”
Ebrill bared her teeth, growling.
Another fireball was incoming, the worry from Ebrill palpable. If I could do anything for her, I would, and that included stopping this onslaught on her friend.
Digging deep, I was pretty sure I had found a way. I didn’t want to say anything and get their hopes up, plus, there was no time to spare. Eyes closed, going to that spot within where all of the crazy magic had come from over the years, I focused on the outside force, then on us and protecting Kordelia.
A shifting of stone caused me to op
en my eyes, but I didn’t break focus. Good thing, too, because as I watched, my transmutation magic was moving the building, changing it. Stones were gathering up in a defensive wall, moving like tiles clicking into place even as the rooftop lowered. Everyone turned to me, but I kept my attention on what was happening. A moment later, even the metal of the garden gates and vines were forming barriers around Kordelia, as best as they could.
“You’re destroying my house,” my aunt said, but it was in awe, not anger.
“And protecting Kordelia,” Ebrill added, running to my side. She kissed my cheek and wrapped her arms around me. The effect was an instant surge in power, so that the stone and bricks and metal started merging together while attacks began to hit in rapid succession from below.
“Don’t let go,” I said, and closed my eyes again, feeling the heat of her body against me, embracing the power as it flowed through my limbs and out into the building.
There was more, too—it was like I could see through the walls of the building, sense vibrations and even breaths. A group of witches was attempting to break through at the rear of the house, led by one of those dark elves. With a deep breath, I made the earth come alive, turning dirt and stone into golems that rose above our enemy and assaulted them. I tripped them with vines and brought tree limbs down upon them. They tried to send attacks at the trees and golems but had nothing that could stop my attack.
Two witches broke for it, running for the rear entrance of the house and casting spells as they ran, buffers that gave them defense and protective shields. Not enough, though, because as soon as they smashed through the door, I opened up the ground and swallowed them into it before closing it on them.
Screams became muffled whimpers that vibrated through my skull, then were gone.
“How are you doing this?” my aunt asked, and I sensed her moving about the house, watching through the windows as the fight continued.
“It’s all that makes sense,” I replied, and caused a ripple effect in the earth, attempting to swallow one of the dark elves as well, but she turned, leaped, and was gone.
At her retreat, others began to flee as well, so that in a matter of less than a minute, the assault was completely thwarted.
I fell out of the spell and would have collapsed to my knees if not for Ebrill catching me and helping me to stand.
She took me by the chin, stared into my eyes, and said, “Thank you.” Then her lips were on mine, tongue testing the waters, and her kiss filled me with energy. Not enough to fully stand, but at least enough to kiss her back.
“That was… something,” my aunt said as she returned to our side, ignoring the kiss.
“Do you plan on restoring it?” Fatiha asked, glancing around.
I looked now, too, and saw that the roof, once flat with the garden and rails, was now curved, leading to the main defensive spot around Kordelia’s statue. It basically put her into a sort of a tomb, accessible from our side.
“This might be best,” I said. “At least, until we know they don’t plan on attacking again any time soon.” Next, I cast new protective wards, figuring it couldn’t hurt, and nodded to the way down.
“Seriously, though…” My aunt motioned to our surroundings. “This was impressive. If they bring a stronger force, we might need to do it again, but… with more.”
“Like a magic version of Home Alone?” I asked.
She cocked her head, then laughed. “Yes, I suppose you could say that.”
“I’ll have to nod and smile while pretending like I know what you are talking about,” Ebrill said, doing just that.
“I’ll catch you up when this is over,” I promised. “Or before, if there’s time.”
“Might be hard, since I don’t own any televisions,” my aunt said.
I guffawed, then thought of something. “But… since you left money and the house to us, that’s something we can fix, right?”
She smiled, then nodded. “If you feel it’s necessary.”
“Maybe not right away. But… yes.” I turned back to Kordelia, raising a hand. “For now, let’s see if there’s any way I can wake her. I’m feeling the power burning bright, so…” But no, nothing. “So…” I scrunched my nose into a glare, turned from it, and kept walking.
“We’re going to need her,” Ebrill said. “I… feel it.”
“What if…” I analyzed Ebrill, wondering if she knew where the Liahona was.
“Say it.”
“Well, maybe we need the Liahona to awaken her.”
Ebrill pursed her lips, then shook her head. “Not something I can accept right now. We’ll find a way.”
Seeing that pushing the subject wasn’t the smart move, I nodded. “Whatever you think is best, I’ll be here at your side.”
“That so?”
“I promise.”
She gave me a sidelong glance, then allowed a hint of a smile. “Maybe you should get some rest.”
“I can keep going.”
“I’m sure you can.” She ran her tongue along her upper lip, turning her head so Fatiha wouldn’t see. “But some sleep might help you, and who knows when the next attack might come.”
“We’ll wake you, if the explosions don’t,” Fatiha offered. “Go on, do as she says.”
“Sure.” I nodded, then started for the stairs. “Oh, Ebrill, maybe you can tag along. I wanted to tell you more about that dream.”
“Of course.”
She came with me, earning a suspicious but humored glance from Fatiha, and soon the two of us were back in my room. Ebrill squeezed my hand as she gestured to the bed.
“Go on.”
“Oh?” I glanced at the bed, then her, and started to undress. First my shirt, then I glanced her way as I started to undo my pants.
“You’re… going to sleep nude?”
I froze. “Wait, I thought… isn’t that why you winked? Why you wanted to come up here with me?”
Her eyes went wide, and she cocked her head. “Honestly, I was thinking you could sleep again, find out about seeing me again, like before. But… would that help you sleep?”
Choosing my words carefully, here, I said, “I’m a bit wound up. A tension release?”
“That’s how you proposition a lady?” She laughed, stepped over, and began helping me with the pants. “Maybe just a massage.”
“A massage?”
She nodded, her hand slipping into my boxer briefs to grab my stiff cock and slowly caress it. “What, you don’t like my massage?”
I closed my eyes, feeling her hand on my shaft, then opened them to see her pulling my boxer briefs down and watched as she stroked my cock. Then she guided me to the bed, grabbed a box of tissues, and had me lie on my back as she stroked me with both hands, rocking with the motion.
“You’re sure you don’t want…?” My eyes roamed down, hands on her legs.
She shook her head. “When we’re ready.”
I relaxed, letting the moment happen. Her firm grip brought me to release, her eyes watching me hungrily as I came. She wiped me clean with the tissues, then lay down next to me, one leg draped over my cock, arm over my side exactly as we had been the night before.
“There, I hope that helps you sleep.”
My mind filled with fantasies of her going down on me, of the two of us on a hillside fucking under the moonlight, and I moaned, the shivers of an orgasmic aftershock running through me as my eyes started to close.
84
I was there again, in that little hut, but the women were gone. I stood there all by myself, staring at a small sculpture of a gargoyle. Clay, it seemed, fairly crude, and not like the sexy ones Ebrill and her friend had proven to be. In fact, this one was more like a cross between them and the Okinawan lion statues out front of my aunt’s house. It got me thinking, wondering if those statues could somehow come to life. But it also got me wondering what these elves, if that’s what they were, knew about gargoyles.
For the first time, I considered that maybe they weren’t el
ves at all, simply gargoyles if gargoyles didn’t turn to stone during the day. Wherever I was, could it be possible that these ones turned into the women I had seen last time?
The rest of the room wasn’t anything special. Wood floors and beams overhead, a trunk with clothing, and some paper under a bodice that had been tossed aside. I took a step closer to the paper, lifting the bodice at the sight of swirling patterns. These patterns… I recognized them. In fact, even the writing looked familiar.
On a hunch, I held up my hand to see if I could access my screen from here. Sure enough, it popped up and let me access the pages I had scanned from the Llyfr Sillafu, the spell book. Only, these ones weren’t complete. It was like they were copying it over, or possibly even creating it.
Could these women—elves, gargoyles, or otherwise—be the ones who created the spell book?
Voices sounded from the main entrance, and they weren’t friendly. One was the goblin with the snake eyes from before, I was sure of it. Another was the deeper, terrifying voice. I snuck to the back of the hut, about to make my escape, when I saw a stream nearby. It wasn’t the stream that caught my attention, but an elf… the one I now knew was Ebrill, somehow before she became a gargoyle, if that made any sense.
One way I could tell she wasn’t really a gargoyle here was that the sun was shining on her nude form, her back to me, water dripping down her round ass as she bathed herself. She started to turn, looking up at something, the underside of her breast exposed. I told myself to look away, tried even, but damn, that was impossible. You don’t see beauty like that and avert your eyes.
The voices reminded me that danger was coming, and I knew that if they caught her there like that, she would be in serious trouble. Realizing I only had one move here, I darted out, staying low as I sprinted toward her.
Shit, shit, shit, my mind was saying, while my mouth moved as I tried to think about how to warn her. In an instant, she turned, fully exposed and facing me, and a figure rose from my left as a shout came and motion of hands.
A force knocked me sideways. My ears rang. Two women moved up on me. One had red hair, the other black, and green light emitted from one of their hands in a way that made me wonder if I would live to see the next few seconds.
