Shades of Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #16) - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,50

amazing?’”

Basq froze, prepared for a blast of nasty magic. The jinns were infamous for their wiliness to kill over the slightest offense. Instead, the male chuckled.

“A disbeliever, Chaaya the Gatekeeper?” he drawled. “What of you, Basq?”

* * * *

Brigette stood in front of the alley, watching the gargoyle gingerly press his hand against an unseen barrier.

“I sense the magic, but I can’t see it,” she said in frustration.

“It is beautiful,” the gargoyle murmured.

Brigette grimaced. There was nothing beautiful about the illusion of a nasty alley filled with trash between crumbling gray stone buildings. It reminded her of her old village. Well, without the coating of evil gook.

“What do you mean beautiful?”

“The sparkles are like stars.” There was an expression of wonderment on the gargoyle’s lumpy face. “As if the entire universe is swirling across the doorway.”

Brigette squashed her stab of envy. So what if she couldn’t see the sparkles? She was looking for a way out, not imaginary stars. Besides, she’d learned her lesson about wallowing in jealousy. It never led to anything good.

“Are they dangerous?” she asked.

“I do not sense evil. It is more…” Levet wrinkled his snout.

“Yes?”

“Indifference.”

Brigette squared her shoulders. She was going to trust the gargoyle. It didn’t make a damned bit of sense, but she was convinced that he wouldn’t deliberately lead her into a trap.

“Okay. Let’s get this over with.”

They stepped forward together, and Brigette felt the magic brush against her skin. She smelled jasmine and heat and…sex.

That was weird.

Bracing herself for an attack, Brigette grunted in surprise as she was dumped into the middle of an empty desert. She shielded her eyes, blinded by the searing sunlight. If there were any enemies nearby, she couldn’t see them.

Eventually her eyes adjusted and she glanced around.

Lots of sand. And nothing else.

“Ah, sunlight.” Levet tilted back his head as if absorbing the golden rays.

“It’s not real,” Brigette informed him. She didn’t have a lot of magic, but what she possessed was deeply rooted in nature. This desert was void of life, revealing it was nothing more than an illusion.

Levet nodded. “Oui, but I turn to stone in daylight. It is a treat to feel the warmth on my skin.”

Brigette blinked. The creature truly was the oddest thing. With a shake of her head, she returned her attention to their surroundings.

She couldn’t see anyone, but she caught a familiar scent. “Chaaya and the leech are here.” She turned in a slow circle, searching for footprints in the sand. “Somewhere.”

Without warning, Levet abruptly pressed against her leg, as if something had frightened him.

“Oh no.”

“What?”

“I smell jinn.”

Brigette glanced down at his worried face. She’d heard of jinn, but honestly, she’d thought they were a myth. Like the Loch Ness Monster. Or a comfortable bra.

“Is that bad?”

“It is not good.”

Brigette clenched her hands. If Levet was eager to retreat, then the jinn must be dangerous. Really, really dangerous.

“Maybe we should leave and reconsider our options,” she suggested.

“A very wise notion.”

About to turn to locate the portal, Brigette was distracted by a distant scream.

“Wait. What is that?”

Levet cocked his head to the side. There was another scream, and at the same time, a small form appeared over a distant sand dune.

“The brownie mongrel.”

Brigette’s stomach did a strange flop as the brownie floundered through the sand, his harsh screams hammering her delicate ears.

“He sounds like he’s dying,” she muttered.

Levet gave a tug on her robe. “We were leaving, were we not?”

“Yeah.”

They cautiously backed toward the portal, keeping a wary eye on the demon, who was waving his arms in a wild gesture.

“Get out of my way, idiots,” the brownie shouted.

“Hey, this is our exit. Find your own,” Levet shouted back.

There were more wild gestures from the brownie before the sand beneath Brigette’s feet started crawling up her leg. As if it’d come to life.

“Levet,” she growled, trying to pull her leg free. The tendrils of sand were not only creepy, they were threatening to trap her.

“I got this.”

The gargoyle lifted his hand, holding his palm flat as he muttered a magical word. There was a sputter, then a puff of smoke, and Brigette had a flashback to the last time the gargoyle had used his magic.

He’d nearly killed them both.

“No, don’t,” she snapped.

In his typical fashion, Levet ignored her, concentrating on his spell. There were more sputters, then with a wave of his hand, a large fireball formed in midair.

“There, see?” He beamed with pride.

Brigette reached out, but before she could grab the ridiculous creature, the brownie barreled by, knocking her aside. Turning