Myths and Gargoyles Jamie Hawke (i read a book .TXT) 📖

of darkness once we were inside. Not that it was dark in the visibility sense, as there were candles burning along the walls, torches at the far end at the sides of the two staircases. But the paintings were all dreary, of snakes and dead trees and strange circles with patterns—some glowing unnaturally.

As much as they were trying to tell me this wasn’t something out of Harry Potter, I couldn’t help feeling this would’ve been what Voldemort’s house would’ve looked like if he’d retired.

“I think I’ll wait outside,” Sharon whispered.

Red caught her arm. “We can’t split up. Not in a place like this.”

Hekate gave her a brief nod. “Stick close, you’ll be fine. It’s the others we have to worry about.”

“How’s that?” Elisa asked, glaring.

“She’s at least closer on the spectrum. You all ooze goodness like a toddler’s runny nose that first week at daycare. It’s disgusting.”

“Thanks,” Elisa replied, taking the lead, but pausing between the two stairwells.

“Always left,” Mirna whispered, helpfully.

“Because it’s the opposite of what’s right,” Pucky said with a grin.

“No, because your left side of the brain is more logical,” Mirna said. “Deals with science. In the end, witchcraft all starts at a point with science.”

“And for the record, there are good witches,” Hekate hissed, clearly offended.

Pucky pretended to zip her mouth, tossing the key behind her.

We made our way up the stairs to the left, a winding, marble staircase that led to a hallway. Long and dark, with tiled floors and gilded gold trim along the ceiling. Speaking of the ceiling, as we walked along I noticed a mural of the witch trials stretching all along the length of it, and what seemed to be pictures depicting various events in witching history.

“Where is everyone?” I asked as we passed several empty rooms and connecting halls.

“Many are off fighting,” Hekate said. “Some are here, refusing to join in the war.”

“But I’d think the witches would be the first to join Ra.”

“You’d think wrong,” Chris interjected. “Think of it this way—chaotic evil, or some chaotic neutral. And the chaotic part often wins out, in the case of these groups, so…”

“When did you learn to speak nerd?” I asked.

He laughed. “That’d be all thanks to Mirna. Got me playing table top games in the evening.”

“Figured it was the best way to help him understand what’s what,” Mirna offered with a proud smile. “Meanwhile, the fucker didn’t even come calling,” “Oh, not that I would’ve accepted if he had, of course. But still, it’s nice to know people want your skills. Or gods want… you know what I mean.”

Pucky laughed, then covered her mouth with a glance at our surroundings. “For me, knowing that I’m on the side of what’s right is enough.”

“Says the nature lover,” Mirna replied. “If it weren’t for Chris and his sweet-talking ways, I honestly don’t know if I’d be on this side or not.”

“What?” I said, looking from her to Chris.

“I mean it, how do I know you all are actually on the right side.”

I shook my head. “I was surprised at the mention of Chris and sweet talking, that’s all.”

Chris chuckled and shot me a glance. “You forget who always had the luck with the ladies.”

“That so?” Hekate asked, nudging him.

Elisa cleared her throat. “Maybe we focus on the task at hand, then compare notes on who’s sweet and who was able to get all the ladies.”

“Or wasn’t either,” Chris nodded my way, but then held up his hands. “Sure, sure. Of course.”

She gave him a pointed look, so he stepped back, turning to Hekate. She’d stopped at a hallway to our right, gesturing us over.

“It’ll be this way, but…” She held up a hand, then cursed under her breath. “Back—there.”

Following her indication that we move to the next hall over, we quickly found ourselves in one of the side rooms. Judging by the mirror and desk, it was nothing more than a powder room, or so I thought until Chris stood between me and the mirror and pulled a curtain over it.

“Best not look into those,” he said. “Not in a place like this.”

“And not with how the glamour makes him look,” Sharon added. At my scowl, she frowned and said, “What? I like the real you, not… this.”

She actually looked kinda hot in her glamour, but I wasn’t about to say that. Not more attractive than normal—because that was hard to beat—just different.

“Someone’s out there,” Elisa hissed from the doorway with Hekate.

The witch nodded, glancing back and then shooing her away. “That’s right, so keep it quiet.”

I nodded, scooting back but bumping into Red. There wasn’t much room in there with all of us crammed in. She didn’t mind, and put an arm around my waist as she whispered into my ear, “Nice and cozy.”

The dirty part of my mind wondered if she was trying to come on to me in this place. It wouldn’t be the first time that a ‘dangerous situation’ had turned on one of these ladies, but there was something about Chris being in there that totally killed it for me. Maybe it was the fact that I’d now seen him in two sexual situations, both of which had been odd enough to leave my retinas scarred, or at least my mind. Even just standing there I couldn’t help seeing Hekate and remembering the first time we’d found him with her doing something to his ass—I tried not to think about it.

“We just wait them out?” Pucky asked. “Or…”

“If you’re thinking you’d rather charge out there, dicks swinging,” Mirna said, shaking her head, “give up that line of thought right now. We’re hardly the most powerful witches in this place, and the house works in mysterious ways.”

“Speak for yourself,” Hekate countered. “I’d put my powers up against any one of them.”

Mirna gave her a skeptical glance, then shrugged. “Yeah, maybe.”

Hekate looked offended, but left it alone.

“Aren’t we all glamoured anyway?” I asked. “Shouldn’t we be able to walk around freely, or what was the point?”

“From a distance you’re