by Jamie Hawke
“What do you mean?”
“Fatiha and… Megha.” The man’s eyes roamed over us, as if that second name was supposed to mean something. It didn’t… at first. But as Steph’s eyes widened, the name hit me as well.
“One of the group from Avalon,” Steph said. “I’ve heard that name before.”
He nodded.
“Shit.” Steph turned to me, frantic. “Fatiha and Megha both here… this is bad.”
The thought that it had been this Megha woman in the dream made this all even more disconcerting.
“Maybe more of them are here, too.” The man motioned to several security cameras, where we could see the hallway we had just come through. No signs of the shadows. Then the view cut to the other room, the one where we had seen Fatiha. She was there, sure enough, but the other one, Megha, was not.
“I don’t see her,” I said.
“Neither do the rest of the guests.” The man indicated a spot on the screen. “But she’s there, looking for you. What the camera can’t see, neither can the normies.”
“Who are you?”
“A friend of Galahad’s,” the man replied. “Our patron was supposed to be here, but plans had to be rearranged last minute.”
“You’re with the Order?” Steph asked.
He nodded, then shook his head.
“Which is it?” I asked.
“I was, once.” Eyeing us a moment, he waved a hand and said, “Suffice it to say, the Order has been infiltrated. Some good remains, but some bad. I have friends there—friends who wanted to ensure I reach you before the others do. You have the Liahona?”
“Not with me,” I lied, in a sense. While it wasn’t with me, I could always summon it now, thanks to Rianne.
“Good. Bringing it out would be reckless. But the point remains, you have it, and based on what is unfolding, I will assume you’ve restored Avalon. I can feel its connection already—no need to answer.”
I nodded anyway.
“How could Galahad invite us here knowing—” Steph started
Our benefactor held up a hand. “He had no idea Fatiha would be here. It doesn’t make sense, and with Megha on top of that. We need to move on, because my protective charm won’t hold long. Not against the likes of them.”
“And you are?” I asked.
“Merely a friend,” he replied, already leading us through another exit. “Name’s Lex.”
Great. A very trustworthy name. I frowned, but didn’t have much of an option here—it was either go along with him or turn and fight. While fighting didn’t worry me too much, I’d had my gargoyles at my back last time I faced Fatiha, and there was no telling how powerful her little friend might be.
We ran through room after room, out along what felt like a servant’s tunnel, and then past a security checkpoint where the guards were down and out. Exiting the Embassy through the delivery entrance, we charged out into a circular parking lot. A shadow came over Lex and I looked up to see Kordelia about to take him down.
“Not him,” I said, indicating the shouting coming from behind.
One of her wings lifted and she veered off course, slamming into a nearby dumpster instead of him. With her force, she pushed it to block the door, then turned back to us as the others arrived.
“Introductions later,” Ebrill said, indicating the front of the Embassy. “There’s trouble out there. Civilians fighting civilians.”
“The Order,” Lex said. “The good ones fighting those who have turned.”
That got a raised eyebrow from Aerona, but she was already in action mode, moving for the road as two men and a woman leaped down from the roof toward the street. A blast from her took out two, and she spun as a shot from the remaining attackers nearly hit her. Wings already moving out and about her, the claws at the top of one tore into the attacker’s throat.
“Move it!” Aerona hissed, and we all charged out of there, Ebrill and Kordelia taking the high ground.
“Some friends you’ve brought,” Lex said, eyes up.
“You haven’t met them all, yet,” Steph replied as more attackers came. She had her wraith knights there, charging out in a wedge.
I wasn’t about to let them have all the fun, so I turned toward the sound of clanging, casting ice claws out at three of them that raced out from the way we had come. My next attacks finished them off, but then Fatiha and her little friend were there, darting out, shadows thrusting them toward us.
“Shit,” I muttered, and suddenly had my staff and Liahona, not about to take any chances. Blasting them back, I was surprised to see that the strike was countered by the shadows. Imagine light hitting a wall of dark water that gave, letting streams of it in, but yet still held as a protective shield. Others around them fell, but not those two.
The attack had been enough, however, to give me a level increase. My screen popped up as I spun, running and sending out frost footing and ice walls. A quick glance at the screen showed:
Level 9 MAGE
Statistics
Strength: 25
Speed: 23
Luck: 20
Charisma: 20
Mana: 810
New Spells
Gorffwys (sleep); Frost Footing; Ice Wall; Ice Claw; Frost Bite; Flurries; Frost Remnant
New Magic Type
Access to Avalon
Rune Magic: Illusion Breaking, Cloaking
Seeing “Rune Magic” up there was pretty sweet, making me feel more confident in my abilities. Maybe I could find a way to make a screen showing specific rune spells and ways to use them, eventually. At the moment, though, we had work to do.
We reached the driveway as police sirens rang out, filling the night. Growing closer. The gargoyles pulled back into the trees, Ebrill motioning for me to come along. Lex, however, was at the gate with three others in black suits, each with a glowing diamond of yellow beneath their right ear.
“A sign for you to know us by,” Lex said, indicating the glowing diamond, taking me by the arm and gesturing. A black Town Car pulled up and Lex motioned for me to head toward it. “Get in. Before it’s too late. Go!”
I glanced back at Ebrill, gave the inside of the car a look, and then nodded. The gargoyles would be able to follow by sticking to trees and rooftops, but right now I needed to learn as much as I could.
“In,” Lex said, and gave me a semi-salute. “If I see you again, I imagine it’ll be after this is all over. Good luck.”
“Thanks,” I replied, in a bit of a daze over all that was happening.
With that, the man, stepped back, closed the door, and we drove off. Man, I sure wished we could have brought Shisa along. The little lion-dog would’ve loved all the action.
15
Driving through D.C. with the sounds of sirens in the distance and knowing they were related to an event I had been involved with was a bit disconcerting. My stomach churned, Steph beside me clutching my hand. We were alone in the car, speeding away from the French Embassy, although at times I caught glimpses of my gargoyles moving through trees or along building tops.
“Where are we going?” I asked the driver, and leaned forward to see an older African-American man with his eyes on the road.
“You’re Mr. Jericho Daynes, correct?”
“Daynes?” Steph bit her lip, trying not to laugh. “How did I not know your last name all this time?”
I ignored her. “That’s right.”
“Then I can tell you. Senator Funai has requested your presence, and sends his regrets about not being able to make the event. We tried to find you, to intercept, but you’re hard to track down.”
“At times,” I admitted, glancing over at Steph. Her eyes showed the same surprise—a Senator? It didn’t make sense. Then again, I supposed anyone could be involved, so why not someone of that status? Actually, the more I thought about it, the more sense it made.
Before moving out here, my parents had encouraged me to watch a lot of news. They told me that kids shouldn’t go off to college st
ill ignorant of the world, so I should know who was who and what was going on with current events.
Senator Funai was, if my memory served me right, one of the Presidential hopefuls in the next race. That was still a little over two years away, but a lot of the news channels seemed to consider him a sure thing for the office.
On the one hand, I wanted to ask why someone considering the office of President would be interested in me, but on the other, I realized real fast that anyone with magic would be much more likely to be in a position of power than those without. Hell, the idea of doing things in life I had never thought likely before was just starting to dawn on me. Fly into space and use my power to not get sick, to control aspects of heat if there were issues with the space shuttle… I don’t know. It all seemed so possible, though.
Would that be an abuse of my power? That was a question I’d have to address at some point, but at the moment I was too busy being excited to care. Steph had curled up next to me, hand in mine, staring out the window.
“You okay?” I whispered.
She nodded.
“He’s not…” I glanced up at the driver, then lowered my voice even more. “Not… with the enemy, right?”
She shrugged. “Not that I know of.”
“What, then?”
“It’s… me.” She motioned to her dress. “This isn’t me. Going to a senator’s house? Definitely not me.”
“It is now.”
Her short inhalation told me there was more to this sense of unease than she would be willing to tell me in the car with the driver listening. My thoughts were tarnished by a bit of a blizzard of emotions. On the one hand, I had grown up without much money. I was the type to run around with friends even worse off than myself, often getting into trouble. My circle had never looked fondly on the law, and even less so on those who had money. The rich always stayed rich while they kept the poor down, or at least we saw it that way. I had partially abandoned that way of thinking as I matured, and even more so when I found out about the opportunity to live with my aunt… er, Gertrude. Odd, how one stops hating those in a higher class when reaching that class oneself. But, this was different. My guess was that this senator was both rich and powerful, and that was another level completely.
Then there was the brainwashing from my parents, always going on about this or that corrupt politician. As far as they would be concerned, I was being driven into the mouth of the beast. A beast we should all understand, but a beast nonetheless.
I glanced out the window again, unable to see my team but able to sense them in a weird mental sonar sense. That helped put me at ease, so I leaned back, eyed the increasingly large houses, and watched as we drove through the gates of a Tudor-style house with brick near the entryway, white elsewhere mixed with dark wood beams. To say it was a dream house was an understatement. While I had been in love with my aunt’s house the moment I had laid eyes on it, this was the next level. A yard sprawled out within the compound, large enough for several more houses to fit in, with tall hedges along the edge and rose bushes up alongside the house.
Letting us out at the driveway, the driver took off. The fact that my vehicle—or rather, the one we had taken from Gertrude’s place—was parked back near the French Embassy and we were now stranded was disheartening to say the least, considering the fact that I didn’t know what I was getting into, or even where I was.
A low whistle sounded, and I turned my head to see the shape of wings atop the house, almost hidden. I gave a return whistle, to let them know I was aware of their presence, very thankful, then took Steph’s arm and led her up to the door. It opened before we had the chance to knock, and an old man in a cardigan stood there, smiling with closed lips. He had short, white hair on the sides of his head, nothing on top, and wore brown, horn-rimmed glasses that complimented his dark complexion.
This was the man. Senator Funai, in the flesh. And behind him, Galahad appeared. Not stepped into view, but basically appeared as if summoned, as with Steph and her wraith knights. I shared a look with her, then turned back to them and said, “Hey.”
Senator Funai stepped aside and motioned us in. “Welcome.”
His home was pure white as far as the walls and furniture were concerned, with large potted plants, silver drapes along tall windows, and odd paintings of misshapen nudes. When he saw me eyeing what at first appeared to be a tree but then I figured had to be a penis, he cleared his throat and gestured to the side room where some couches awaited.
“Excuse me, where are my manners.” He approached Steph and shook her hand. “Greg Funai.”
“Stephanie,” she replied with a curt nod, briefly taking his hand before turning off to go sit on one of the couches. The senator and I followed.
“And your team outside?” the senator asked with a wink, eyes on me as I sat.
“I don’t know what you’re referring to,” I replied with a pleasant smile—or as pleasant as I could muster, considering that he had let me know he was aware of my secret weapon.
“Regardless, I’m glad to see that my people brought you here to me safely.” He paused, as Galahad leaned in, and apparently communicating, although no words were shared. “Is that so?” He turned back to me. “I understand you had some trouble? I apologize for that.”
“Nothing we couldn’t handle.”
“Still.” He gave me an appraising glance, then handed me a glass of port. “I assume you’re old enough to drink?”
“Actually, no, sir.” I set the glass aside, and his eyes followed it, staying there momentarily.
“Not even old enough to share a glass of port with, and yet… so much on your shoulders.” His eyes rose to meet mine again. “How is it, son, that you bear this burden?”
I looked to Steph for help. She shrugged.
“It would seem,” I said, “that I was either born with the latent skills, or else I was chosen based on my magical abilities, and in part I’ve earned it by staying alive at the right moments.”
He chuckled, nodded, and sipped his port.
“What can I help you with?” I asked, getting to the point.
He looked me straight in the eye, then beckoned for Galahad to come nearer. The knight stepped forward, bowing slightly.
“As you’re aware, the Order is fractured. Our enemies would not have been able to infiltrate the French Embassy this night otherwise.
“You have the Liahona. It’s up to you to see that the Order is restored. To expel evil from this world, and bring the power of Avalon to its rightful place.”
I eyed him. “And that place would be with you?”
“You know I am going high places,” he replied. “I have… good friends. Friends you can trust.” He gestured to Galahad, who nodded again. “Would you not want to be at my right hand? Support me, to ensure that the job I am destined to do is done in the right way, with those who would do evil to our great nation behind bars?”
“Perhaps,” I said, really wishing I didn’t have to be there. In truth, anything to do with politics was about as far off my radar as possible. The idea of helping anyone either get to the White House or stay there felt like a job for someone else. Not me. And what else was he saying? He would want me to use the magic of Avalon and my own powers to fight his enemies? What, like declare magical wars on other countries, use it to hunt down terrorists?
I held my head, a sudden thudding making it feel as if I was hungover in a rave club. Not fun.
The senator eyed me again, finished off his port, and then gestured to the door. “Nothing has to be decided tonight. I know you are the man for the job, and together we will make this world what it was always meant to be. Together, friend.”
He set the glass aside, took my hand, and shook it firmly before turning and walking off to ascend the stairs. When I looked down, I realized that he had left a card in my hand, one with a magic-looking swirl under his name and number. A simple business card, maybe?
Given the dismissal, I nodded to Steph and we made for the do
or. Halfway there, Galahad shot around in a burst of light, reappearing at our sides to walk with us.
“He isn’t wrong,” Galahad said. “They need you.”
“But, do I need them? Does the world?” I nodded farewell and exited, determined to learn the answer to that question.
16
The driver took us from there. As we drove, my eyelids grew heavy. My body felt weak and confused with all the changes in sleep schedules lately. With that and the stress, I was spent.
My head rolled back and I startled awake the first time, but the next time, as we were passing the Trader Joe’s near George Washington University, my eyes refused to stay open a moment longer. In a flash, and this time without Aerona, I was back in that strange land where I had found Riland.
“We’re back,” his voice came, and then he stepped out in front of me. Not from my side or anything like that, but seemingly from within me.
“I don’t understand. Where were you?”
“Why, with you, of course.” He smiled as if that explained everything.
“No, I tried bringing you, tried summoning you and all that—”
“And it worked. To a degree. It was a haze, in parts, but seeing your world, being able to lay eyes on Ebrill, Kordelia, and Aerona… it was amazing. Albeit, confusing.”
“You were there.” I shook my head, wondering how it was. Had I simply brought him as a sort of spirit, more ghost-like than Steph’s wraiths? “Wait! I’m confused—you didn’t know about their new form.”
“I did not.”
With a solemn nod, I explained the curse and how that had turned them into gargoyles. He took it well enough, considering his predicament. Considering what he had to deal with already in this dark place, not much was likely to surprise him.
During the brief, I was able to take in our surroundings, noting a curve in the land below and what looked like the edge of some barely visible city walls. Finished talking, I stood there, staring, trying to get a better view with my enhanced focus.