Screams filled the Embassy, shots fired somewhere in the distance. A distraction? My gargoyles moving in, having sensed danger? Either way, Steph and I ran hand in hand, working to get away from the pursuing shadows and the room where we had seen Fatiha and the Chinese girl.

We hadn’t taken more than a few steps when a hand motioned to me. A worried face and tendrils of light-blue came to life, glowing, forming spiderweb-style patterns in the walls that then shot out and formed a barrier behind us. The shadows couldn’t pass, instead scurrying along the other side, looking for an entry point.

“With me,” the man said, and turned, opening doors, sprinting and leading us along corridors before darting down a staircase.

He came to a halt and we followed him into a room that seemed to be some sort of security monitoring station. The door slammed shut and he locked it before turning to us.

“Whoa, there,” I said, hands up, ready to fight if need be.

“She wasn’t supposed to be here,” the man said, hands out to show he meant no harm. “Neither of them.”

“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.”

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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.