by Jamie Hawke
“I have to!”
“She’ll use the magic, target Avalon—you can’t!”
Damn. If she was right, of course I couldn’t. Instead, I turned and unleashed that power on some of the minions, frying a great many of them. That little outburst shot up my XP, bringing me to level eight. A popup screen read:
Level 8 MAGE
Statistics
Strength: 24
Speed: 20
Luck: 16
Charisma: 15
Mana: 720
New Spells
Gorffwys (sleep); Frost Footing; Ice Wall; Ice Claw; Frost Bite; Flurries; Frost Remnant
New Magic Type
Access to Avalon
“I have an idea,” I said, remembering that I wanted to try that Frost Remnant spell now that I’d unlocked it, but preferably when the enemy didn’t absorb magic. “Keep her off me.”
“You got it,” Steph said, summoning all of her wraith knights and sending out a barrage of fireballs while I knelt, my hand on the rooftop.
Before making my book move, I used another spell that I looked forward to trying. Using the Flurries spell, I watched with glee as a flash of snow shot out and became a snow storm that hit our enemies like a swarm of bees. Each little snowflake became active, attacking the enemy. Nothing too intense, but enough to distract the enemy long enough for my team to take the advantage and me to feel comfortable to make my move.
Hand on the stone of the roof, my attention moved down through the building, to the basement and below. Into the foundations where I’d left part of the building as a staircase. Finding a location based on feeling like this wasn’t the same as being there, but I managed to get a sense of where the rune was that had been blocked and repaired to fix the magic—now I wanted to do the opposite, though. Using the bit of the house that was acting as a stairwell, I maneuvered it over to the rune and created a blockage again.
A thud sounded and I looked up to see that Glitonea had crashed onto the rooftop. She was in human form, back arched in pain and eyes wild with confusion. She was an older, lanky woman with the sides of her otherwise purple hair shaved, the top long and pulled back into a braid. Her eyebrows arched in a fierce way that combined with the rune tattoos to give her an intimidating appearance. Purple moved along her in a way that resembled cloth rippling in the wind, only it was attached to her, almost part of her skin. Not much was left for the imagination.
My gargoyle team made quick work of the what little was left of the enemy, now turning to move in toward Glitonea. Apparently, it only took magic to wake the gargoyles, not keep them awake—since they were mobile, the blockade of magic didn’t put them back into stone. Steph didn’t have her magic or wraith knights at the moment, but the trade was clearly the right move.
Most of our magic was on pause, in exchange for Glitonea being helpless. She managed to get on all fours, then up to one knee, pointing a finger at me.
“It’s not going to work,” I said, and grinned. “You are ours now.”
Fear entered her eyes when, as I’d told her, the magic didn’t come. “H—How…?”
“My secret.” I strode over, catching her by the wrist as she sprang up and tried to strike me. “Now, we have some questions for you.”
105
Keeping the magic of this place turned off for the time being didn’t seem like such a bad idea, at least while Glitonea was present. We brought her to a room that I had turned into a prison cell during a pause on the way down. Actually, being able to transmorph the building meant that after we left, I could make it so there was no door at all—but that might scare the lady to death.
If that was possible. I wasn’t sure the Nine Ladies could die, or how the details of that would work.
“You can’t hold me here,” Glitonea growled as Kordelia dragged her into the room. “Do you realize the pain I will bring upon you when this trick you’ve managed has worn off? When my magic returns?”
“I realize that we’ve captured one of the Nine,” I said, “and that you won’t be the last.”
She was such a delicate thing in Kordelia’s grasp, struggling helplessly. Now, in the light, it was clear that the purple clothing was some sort of magical situation that kept her clothed and allowed for her to shift into that griffon form. I studied her, wondering how old she must’ve been to be one of the Nine, and then shook the thought away.
Glitonea glared at us, then spoke to Aerona. “You think I was the only one who sensed the connection to Avalon? Others will be here soon, and they aren’t all as reliant on magic as I am.”
“Who?” I asked.
She glared.
“To be fair,” Steph offered, “I doubt it’s hard for them to figure out where we are at this moment.”
“A good point,” Ebrill noted. “We’ll have to remedy that, and fast.”
Glitonea’s glare roamed over each of us in turn. Since Kordelia had released her, she started moving along the walls, hands waving as if checking for spells. When she reached the far wall, she paused, eyes narrowed, and turned to me.
“How?”
“You’ll never find out.”
“Fuck you. You don’t see me, or something?” With that, the purple ‘clothing’ receded and she stood there nude before us, runes glowing on her body. “You might have found a way to cancel out magic, but it’s never complete. Some magic is deeper than whatever this curse is you’ve managed.” She stepped toward me. “But I imagine you know that, don’t you?”
Kordelia moved into her path. “Make a move. Please.”
Glitonea’s runes glowed brighter still, but then faded. She cursed, then spat at my feet. “I’ll find a way around this. And when I do, you’ll all be begging for death.”
On a whim, I stepped around Kordelia and asked, “Why the messenger?”
“What?”
“The messenger you sent. Or one of you—what’s the angle there, if you were only going to attack us, anyway?”
The confusion on the woman’s face as the purple clothing moved back into place was enough of an answer. She had no idea about Galahad, and I purposefully didn’t name him.
“My turn.” Glitonea eyed Steph. “How is it that you broke free, little birdy?”
Steph, visibly shaken, simply turned and walked out of there.
“We’ll come back to get answers out of you,” I heard Ebrill say as I went after Steph.
“She’s captured, you don’t have to worry about her,” I said, taking Steph’s hand. “I’m with you.”
“I know. But… seeing one of them, having her address me like that, it was too much.”
“I’m sorry.”
She nodded, then looked up as the others emerged, closing the door behind them. Deciding there was no way I was letting that ancient bitch out of the room, I melded the door to the walls. Fuck her.
“We’ll either get answers or use her as bait,” Aerona said. “Either way, we’ve captured someone very powerful tonight.”
“Jericho, do you think you can find a way to target the runes?” Ebrill asked.
“Make it so certain parts of the house don’t allow magic,” I said, catching on. “Honestly, I have no clue, but we should try.”
“During the day, maybe that’s something you can experiment with?” Kordelia grunted. “The irony is, that woman in there is likely to be the most knowledgeable on the subject.”
“We all noticed,” Ebrill said, eyeing me.
“I wasn’t checking out her tits, if that’s what your look is insinuating,” I said. “Shit, she’s like… how old?”
“Ancient, but you could argue that so are we.”
I frowned and shook my head. “Doesn’t count.”
Aerona chuckled, but met Steph’s eyes. “You’ll be okay with her under the same roof as us?”
Steph nodded. “I hope so.”
“For now, let’s get some rest.”
“And then?” Ebrill asked. “We can go to their coven first, or go after Fatiha.”
“What’s the advantage of going after Fatiha?” Steph asked. “And… do we even know where to find her?”
“She knew how to summon Thiten,” Aerona explained. “And my guess is that Thiten is the key to finding the others of our team. As to where… No, but I imagine we can get her to come to us.”
“And this?” I asked, holding up the invitation Galahad had given me.
“When’s it for?” Ebrill asked.
“Not tomorrow, but the following evening.”
She glanced around, got a nod from Aerona, then said, “We learn what we can until then, stick to the plan, train… and then give it a try.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I yawned, still not fully used to the new schedule.
“You rest,” Ebrill said, hand on my forehead and healing my body so that rest would come easy.
I agreed, although Steph wanted to stay up with the other ladies a bit longer to, as they put it, have their ‘girl time.’
The bed welcomed me and sleep took hold instantly, but it couldn’t have been long before a creaking sound woke me. My eyes fluttered open to see Aerona, her gold skin with a slight blue hint to it in the dim light. The effect was magical, making me wonder if she had found some way of working around the block. But no, it was simply the light and her natural glow.
“Can I help you?” I whispered.
“Maybe, or maybe I can help you.” She sat next to me, awkwardly, then put her hand on my leg in an even more awkward way.
I raised an eyebrow. “Are you… hitting on me?”
She withdrew the hand. “No.”
“Aerona, what’s going on?”
Her eyes went to the floor, then back to me. “The thing is… and the others agree… I have something to show you. Maybe.”
“Meaning what, exactly?”
“We should sleep together.”
I nearly coughed. Without a doubt, I would enjoy it. But, judging by the awkward way she had put her hand on my leg, I wasn’t sure how this would work out.
Her eyes went wide with realization. “Oh, I didn’t mean that. I meant… sleep. Actually sleep, side by side. This is what I spoke about with Rianne. For you to… travel.”
“I thought that was done?”
“We think that it might not be. Not done with me, anyway. Rianne had ideas of other ways it could be used, and now that we have Glitonea, I think the chances are increased. I sense something from her… a connection to another place entirely.”
“But why?”
“There are… things left undone. Unsaid?” She took my hand in hers. A delicate moment, eyes meeting. “One way for you to find out would be to trust me. Do you?”
“Yes.”
She rolled over and pressed against me. The firm armor over her chest reminded me that we weren’t quite as close as maybe I would have liked in the moment, but she wrapped her arm over my chest and I felt like I was in heaven.
Even with my mind reeling with the idea , sleep took me again, only, this time it was different. Something other than Aerona was holding me—a hand, on my neck, choking me! The arm was gray and sinewy, leading up to a face with red eyes and slick, sharp teeth visible as the thing snarled.
I pulled away, spinning to see a creature with patches of white hair, dark skin, and those red eyes. It moved for me, but when I stood and growled, it turned and ran off. Only then did I see that it wore rusted armor and old robes that looked familiar, similar to the old days of Avalon.
My eyes took in the darkness, rock shelves and hanging trees starting to become visible, and the sound of a distant river. For a moment I even thought I could make out the Heart of the Mountain again, only it was as it had been before my actions. Then it was gone, and I seemed to have turned around, except every time I turned my head, I was looking at the same damn tree—a stump, really, with one lone arrow in its side.
Each step toward the tree echoed as if I were in a large, empty chamber. I knelt, inspecting the arrow. Intricate carvings filled the shaft, the type it didn’t make sense to work on unless you knew you would get your arrow back. Before my eyes, the carvings started to glow, forming runes. They drifted up and off the arrow, forming a misty face that hovered in front of me.
“Glitonea,” I said, recognizing her. “You’re locked in the house…”
“I am,” she said, voice distant. “But why? Don’t you know, Jericho, that you and I should be on the same side in this war?”
My silence was answer enough to cause her to snarl, but then she was pleasant again, even smiling.
“Jericho,” she continued, “I am one of the Nine Ladies. Ancient beings with power beyond your comprehension. I know much about this world, and much more than your gargoyle friends. They would have you believe I’m evil. Well, I’m not. I’m the one working to make the world a better place, but it so happens that my methods are beyond their comprehension.”
“And what methods would those be?” I asked.
Her smile widened, but before she could answer, the runes faded and she was whisked away, remnants of light moving through the darkness like fireflies, until they were gone completely.
In their place stood an army that I hadn’t previously noticed. Dark figures, white hair, similar to the first I had seen. Drow, no doubt. But they weren’t the same as they had once been. They were more decrepit, more… evil?
My internal voice said to get out of there, told my legs to run. Neither worked, and suddenly the Drow were on me, clawing and drawing glowing blue blades to strike. In a flash of light, I knelt and fell through the ground, mind trying to come up with answers, focusing back on the runes in my house and suddenly seeing patterns although not understanding them. One movement, and everything froze—I was in translucent rock, able to reach out and touch it, and yet not.
Knowing I had control now, I told myself to wake.
With a jolt, I was back in bed, Aerona stirring at my side.
“Where… was I?” I asked.
She shook her head, unable to answer me. “I’ve only seen glimpses of it once before, when a dark force tried to wake me, to pull me from my place of stone in Avalon. If the others were taken, not able to hold out as I was, they might be there.”
“Well… fuck.” I sat, hand to the back of my head where a dull pain had started. “I don’t want to go back there.”
“There’s a reason it’s connecting us to that place.” Aerona had her hand on my chest still, eyes focused on mine. “We need you to. Please. I need you to.”
My mind raced with the images I’d seen down there. Had it been down?
“Where was I?” I asked.
Aerona shifted, hand on mine. “You were with the enemy that you exiled when you used the Liahona and separated Avalon from this world, so long ago.”
“No.”
I stood, going to the window and staring out, watching as the light blue at the edge of the horizon signaled the coming sunrise. Soon they would be stone, and the idea that I had to go into that place again would be gone, at least until the next night.
106
Steph entered to find me staring at the statue of Aerona. This relatively petite gargoyle statue, standing at the edge of the bed with arms crossed, a scowl on her face. A scowl meant for me, while I stared out at the sunrise and waited for her to turn to stone. I felt like an ass, which was why I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off her.
“How did it go?” Steph asked.
“You knew?”
“We discussed it, but I don’t know anything other than what she told us.” Steph approached, but stopped a couple paces away, apparently sensing that I wasn’t myself.
“I want to know what she said,” I told her.
“Only that Rianne spoke of this. Someone arriving, and how Aerona would be able to harness the connection. That the dream magic was more powerful than the runes, and that this would be instrumental in helping us to defeat the enemy.”
“Maybe we go back to Rianne and get more answers. If she’s able to see
so much, why do I feel like I’m grasping in the dark?”
“You know it doesn’t work like that.”
I nodded, eyeing the statue again, then her. “The others?”
“On the roof. They wanted to feel the sun on them as it came.”
“Sure.”
My mind tried not to focus on the images I’d seen, of that army of fallen Drow. We made our way up to the roof because I wanted to look out at the city, to see the sunrise hitting the National Cathedral on one side, the hint of the Capitol we could just make out on the other. I walked along what was once a rooftop garden, stopping next to the statues of Kordelia and Ebrill. They both stood tall and proud, hands at their sides as they looked out at the city. I could almost imagine they had never woken at all, that their waking and my adventures with them had been a dream.
I was glad that wasn’t the case, though. No matter how bad it all got, I wouldn’t give up any of this for a second. Even the horrible dream place was leading me somewhere, I was sure of it. We had one of the Nine as our prisoner, an invitation to some event by Galahad himself, and a strange area with runes in the floor to explore.
That would be our next step, the runes, but first I turned to Steph and eyed her. Her outfit was now a more conservative skirt and blouse taken from my aunt’s collection, and the effect was that she looked less like the witch she was and more like a high-class member of society.
“You’re making me nervous,” she said with a laugh. “What?”
“Just… you’re gorgeous, you know that?”
A glance away, and I stepped up to her, taking her hand in mine. “When you broke free from the curse, you didn’t have to stay with me.”
“It’s weird,” she admitted, “how we met. Most people meet at a bar or online, maybe through friends. We met because I was under a curse meant to steal your power or to use your power to get access to the Liahona, I guess. Hell, the stories we’ll tell our—”
“Oh, shit.” I pursed my lips, glancing down. “Kids? Are you…?”
