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

wasn’t right. Every other time it had been I’d go to sleep or be pulled out of consciousness, then woken up in the other place or land. This time we kept moving, the energy kept taking us, or me.

It didn’t take long to see why. Light ahead, a figure silhouetted there as if looking down a well at me, or at the end of a long tunnel. Our magic moved me away from her, but pain rocked my body as an invisible force jostled for control over me. Without a doubt, this was one of the Nine, attempting to intercept my travel.

As fast as my mind could move, I muttered several spells, but nothing worked. The words didn’t even leave my mouth.

Faster and faster I began plummeting toward the figure, until a force caught me, gentle. Tender.

Never leave my side, it seemed to say without words—even mental ones, as sometimes happened. Then I was back at Megha’s side, her arm looped through mine, the two of us shooting through darkness in a different direction.

I opened my mouth to explain, or maybe to ask her if she could explain it to me, but she pulled me close, cheek to mine, and that same sense of words entered my mind. I’ve got you.

Next thing I knew, my eyes were opening to the Dark Lands. Aerona and Riland already waited for us. Except, it wasn’t ‘us.’ Just me, no sign of Megha.

“You got distracted?” Aerona asked. “Is this not important enough for you?”

“Megha saved me,” I muttered.

“What?”

“Something, one of the Nine I guess, tried to pull me away. I don’t know, it was confusing, all happening so fast.”

“That’s not good,” Aerona replied, her annoyed glare turning to curiosity and worry.

“We’re here now and have our own problems.” Riland indicated our surroundings.

Rocks, in jagged, cutting formations. No stars in the sky, but in way, this was starting to feel familiar. That in itself was troubling.

“This way, I think,” Riland said, leading the way, eyes on a far mountain—likely as a point of focus to guide himself.

As we walked on, cautious because of the loose rocks and steep falls to our left, Aerona seemed distant, her tail wrapped around so she could hold it, her wings almost limp.

“This place,” Aerona said, looking around. “Something’s wrong.”

“Wrong, how?” I asked, instantly on guard.

“Not here, not now but… in my memories.” She continued in silence, looking around as if she would find the answers to whatever questions she had. “My memories are of this place, of being here, of being aware of it. But now that we’re here, I sense… I don’t know. I sensed it before, too, and now I’m wondering. Wondering if the dreams have merit…”

“Dreams of being here?”

She shook her head. “Elsewhere. A time when maybe I was awakened, when maybe I had a whole other life. But… it was all blocked out, for some reason. It’s only accessible when I’m here, and even then, only in pieces.”

I stumbled, caught myself, and offered her a goofy smile. “And what do you see in these dreams?”

A troubled look came over her. “Temples, curved blades, glowing stones…” She lifted her hand, looking at her fingers sparkling in the light of Avalon. “Gold.”

“Gold,” I repeated the word, letting it sink in. Judging by the reality of my dreams, there was plenty of reason to wonder if hers might be real, too. Or memories of a time that, like she said, had involved her not being trapped in Avalon.

It wasn’t like memory loss related to that time was unheard of among these women. In fact, all of them had suffered some form of it related to their time being trapped or cursed. I let out a breath, trying to ease the tension, but it didn’t work.

Riland glanced back, paused, and then started walking faster. Apparently misinterpreting the unease, he spoke up to say, “Nobody fought like Draedar.” A few more paces, then, “Did you know he saved my life?”

Aerona’s eyes met mine with a look that told me not to say anything about the dreams. I gave her a slight nod.

“He saved a lot of lives,” Aerona said.

“But mine was special to me,” Riland replied.

That earned a slight laugh from her, a broad smile from me.

“He never liked fighting,” Riland said.

“Does anyone?” I asked.

“I love it,” Riland said with a chuckle.

“Same for me.” Aerona actually showed a hint of a smile. “The thrill. If my opponents are bad, of course.”

“Of course,” I replied, hands up in surrender.

“That day, though?” Riland chuckled, eyes ahead as he walked. “I swear he had the love of the fight in his eyes. It was during the War of the Three Crystals, and we had just taken Castle Gloveard. There we were, in the heat of battle with wildguists and all manner of ice wailers trying to break through. He was pushing toward the rear, when suddenly the back wall exploded—literally, exploded—and we dove into a side passage. He shouted about finding you, about getting back to you above all else, and I didn’t have a clue as to why, didn’t know you were together at the time.

“And yet, the moment an ice wailer shot out from the wall, black with gleaming blue spikes shooting toward me, he leaped into its path without a second thought. He was like that, right?”

“Selfless to a fault,” Aerona replied, eyes glistening.

“He sounds like a great guy,” I said, but then turned back to Riland. “Wait, so… did he get hurt that time?”

“Oh, yes. Very badly. Ebrill was with him three nights for healing, in order to make the scars go away.”

“It worked,” Aerona said. When she noticed the cautious way I looked at her, she shook her head. “And no, nothing to be worried about with those two. At first, I was jealous, but that was a long time ago. That emotion no longer hangs with me. And more than that, when I’d go visit him and talk with the two of them, it made me understand