Chapter 10
Theo!
I sit bolt upright in panic.
Then remember.
It’s OK. She’s back and she’s safe in Defectivum.
Thank the Gods.
But now I need to see her asap.
Fucking Feniks. I’m going to dick-punch the hell out of him. The douche-canoe locked us in the apartment, caged us like me and Max were naughty hamsters that got too bitey
I’ll show him bitey.
Stretching to loosen my stiff limbs, I glance at the penthouse door and get annoyed all over again.
What a shithead. I want to talk to Tee!
Oh, fuck my brain.
Doh.
—Tee Tee? You there, babe?—
—Donovan! My love—
—Yessss! You’re back online. Is everything OK? Where are you?—
—With Alexis—
Fucker.
—Any updates on the big guy?—
I really hope our minotaur is safe. Team Sparkles needs all its members.
—I heard his thoughts for a brief moment, but they were so faint. Going into the tunnels to try again—
—WAIT! Not without me!—
I leap up and try the apartment door handle.
Still locked.
—Can you tell fucking Feniks to let us out?—
After a pause, Theo replies. —He says it will automatically unlock at sunrise. About twenty minutes time—
—Then wait for us, Tee-baby. Please don’t head into trouble without me. Please, I’m begging you…I nearly went insane when you were missing—
Silence again.
It’s worse than watching three dots appear then disappear on a text reply. What are those things called?
Eclipses! Yes! Theo is doing brain eclipses. Thankfully her three brain dots don’t go on too long.
—OK, we’ll wait twenty minutes. See you soon. I love you—
Thank fuck.
—love you love you love you love you—
I go to the couch and shake Max’s shoulder. “Rise and shine, woofie. We’re going bull hunting with our girl.”
Max opens an eye. “Sparkles?”
“Do you have any other girls we should know about?”
“Don’t be a wanker, as our little English princess would say,” he groans, sitting up and stretching. “Give me two minutes to piss.”
“The door won’t unlock until sunrise, so we’ve fifteen. I’ll go wake Cos.”
“What about Wes?”
Wes.
He’d crashed out as soon as he and Cosmo got in. Cos had managed to stay awake long enough to give us the run down on what had happened. Including the info that there was basically an evil Conclave lair underneath the building site.
And that Wes was under our mother’s spell and not to be trusted.
“No, not Wes. After what Cosmo told us…”
“That he’ll probably report everything back to the Conclave? Yeah. Agreed. Let the fucker sleep. Ooh, I know. We can leave him a note saying we are off Fateball training!”
That’s actually a good idea. Nice one, Maximus.
I scribble down some words on a Post-it while Max wakes Cos then heads into my bathroom.
Why is it always my bathroom? Wes and Cosmo have porcelain to offer too, but no, the hound insists on stinking up mine.
Shaking my head, I go and switch on the coffee machine.
A few minutes later, Cosmo comes out of his room, looking like he’s off for a winter walk in the Hamptons rather down Defectivum’s tunnels.
Navy pants, one of those sweaters that look like fishermen wear, a tiny beanie on the back of his head and some designer leather boots.
“What do you call that look?” Max asks as Cos wraps a soft scarf around his neck. “GQ Moby Dick?”
Close but no cigar, Max. “Nah, it’s giving Christmas Hallmark movie. Like you’re burnt out from working in the city, so go back to your small hometown, then fall in love with the girl who runs the bakery, but first you are going out to the woods to chop down the perfect pine tree.”
Cosmo pauses, one hand fixing his wooly hat, and gives me a frosty look—which is in keeping with the theme I’m painting.
“You are both Neanderthals,” he mutters, taking out his phone. “Feel free to continue spouting nonsense. In the meantime, I’ll get Striker to hack the school CCTV from yesterday. Look for Ludo on that.”
“Oh, yeah, great idea. Why didn’t you think of it yesterday?”
“Because, you fuck head, I was a little taken up with being at a Conclave ascension ceremony. And isn’t it possible you could have thought of the CCTV yourself?”
Touche, as they say.
But truthfully, it’s always the others who come up with the best plans. I hate being the idiot of the group.
“Don’t bother with your P.I.” Max tells Cosmo, whipping a laptop off the coffee table. “I’ve got it.”
I watch as he flicks through various screens then brings up the video feed from outside Defectivum. It’s a million miles beyond my comprehension.
Idiot. Like I said.
Max scrolls and clicks for a minute, then looks up with a shit-eating grin. “Voila! Yesterday at 1:22pm.”
“Bring the computer with us,” Cosmo commands. “Let’s go.”
Great idea, but… “Er, hello. The door is still locked,” I remind him.
Cosmo casually flicks his hand at the door.
The lock mechanism releases.
“What the fuck?” I explode. “We’ve been trapped in here like prawns in a cocktail while you were dreaming of velvet slippers?”
He shrugs. “The fake professor was right. You morons would have gone tearing out of here straight into the arms of a fucking Conclave goon.”
“So?” Max snarls, shoving his feet into boots, then picking up his computer. “Not like they’d take us down.”
Yeah. Agreed. But whatever. This is not important. Getting my girl into my arms is the only thing that matters.
And finding the bull.
OK, I guess that’s important too.
Very, my centaur insists.
???
"What did they do to you, Sparkles?" Max asks.
I have Theo in my arms, and have been kissing her thoroughly for the last few minutes. Her mouth is like kissing a sunset. Pink and hot and beautiful.
“Sparkles?”
Fine. I let her go so she can answer Max’s question.
She gives me one last peck, then turns to him. “What did they do to me? Oh, you know, the usual. Drained my blood, filled me with a dark energy spell, then made me watch two little kids get sliced up so the Conclave could feed that poison into their souls.”
A deep sigh leaves her body.
All the happy, shiny sunset feelings crack and fall away.
Drained her blood?
And tried to fill her with dark energy?
Sliced up kids?
No. NO and NO, again. My stomach does a weird, sick flip. Those bastards trespassed inside my girl—fuckers.
Tee-Tee needs to be filled with three things only; her own blood (duh), the Lumina, and my cock (or my cum, either way works).
I’ll kill them all for touching her.
While I start imagining the most painful deaths I can, like maybe using my centaur bow and arrow and turning them into colanders, Max reaches forward and tilts Tee-Tee’s chin up.
“So then, Sparkles. Nothing you couldn’t handle.” His eyes burn into hers with a wild intensity.
She nods. “Yeah, you're right. Nothing I couldn’t handle.”
Too right my Goddess, my warrior queen, my love.
“But enough of that,” she says, clapping her hands on her cute hips. “Let’s go find Lu.”
“Yes, queen, but first—Max has been a clever dog. He found footage for us to watch.” I wave an arm at Maximus. It’s only right he gets some kudos.
Max nods, looking extremely pleased with himself. He gets a kick out of being the person with the answers, which is fair, because I’m usually the person with the questions.
As he loads the page again, everyone gathers around. Theo sucks in a breath, grabs my hand and then we watch as little-Ludo moves along in a world of gray static and silence.
He walks fast, down the side of Defectivum, then turns the corner.
“One sec,” Max says.
Bringing up the next lot of screens, the building site is visible. There is a truck just outside the gate, and several people moving around it. Pity there’s no sound.
“Can you zoom in?” Theo asks, a quiver in her voice.
Max does as she commands, and the picture gets pixilated, but we can still see enough. Ludo approaches the gate and he’s confronted by three guards. The janitor pushes past, takes a swing at one of the men, then runs towards the opening.
Until he’s struck down by a gun stock to the back of the head.
“No!” Theo grips my fingers tightly.
Ludo’s body is dragged into the compound, then once again the gates roll shut. The room goes silent. The kind of silence where you know that everyone internally is saying ‘oh shit’.
“So, they have him,” Theo says eventually. “And he’s hurt.”
“But we’ll get him back,” I say, squeezing her shoulder.
I know she’s hurting, she fucking loves that mountain man.
Max nods in agreement. “Yeah, Sparkles. Whoever has my Bull is going to end up sliced and diced by my canines.” He bares his teeth to emphasize the point.
I like it.
Those Conclave bastards don’t realize they haven't just caught a janitor; they've basically enraged an army of magical beasts who refuse to lose one of their own.
“Enough talk, let’s go," Theo says, her voice is all business as she moves to the back of the basement.
“Yes, pulu. But…”
“But nothing, Alexis.”
“I’m sorry, my love, but you all need to be in uniform and in class on time this morning,” Alexis says very boringly.
“Fuck that,” Max growls.
Agreed.
The professor sighs. “Just take a moment to consider the scrutiny you are under; especially Theo and Cosmo. If you want to keep them safe, we need to not cause suspicion.”
Eh, OK.
Priority numero uno is always Tee-Tee’s safety.
Cosmo frowns then nods. “Fair. So in that case, we’ve got one hour until we transform into model students.”
“Then hurry up,” Tee snaps, turning and heading towards the tunnel. “I’m going, with or without you.”
We move fast. Alexis casts some globe light spells, I follow suit, but make mine lilac in honor of my Tee.
“Left up ahead, then straight again,” Max says, using his Hellhound senses.
I just have centaur senses, which mainly make me want to fuck and shoot arrows.
Dusty air tickles at my throat.
I just can’t understand how Max and Ludo like being underground. It sucks. The air is like oatmeal, it's so thick.
And on top of that…
Spiders.
We walk through the dank gloom until Theo stops suddenly, pressing her palm against the rough rock of the tunnel wall.
"Tee?" I whisper.
"Shh," she murmurs. Her eyes are closed, her head tilted. "He’s close. I can... I can hear him, or rather, feel him. It’s not words, just a dull, throbbing pain."
"Can you pinpoint where?" Alexis asks.
"Below us. Deep down.”
“Same place we were taken to, I imagine,” Cosmo states.
Right, the Conclave secret lair.
That place needs a catchy name; the Bastard Buttwipe Bunker? Hideous Hideout? No, Downstairs of Doom. Hmm. I’ll have to keep workshopping.
The big question is…“How the fuck do we get him out of there?”
“Dragon-boy,” Max grins. “He’s our secret squirrel.”
Maximus turns to Cos and prods him on the chest with a finger. “Daddy Drakeward thinks you are a Conclave true believer now. Hallelujah, praise the dicks, etc. So you go back to the site and bullshit your way to where they’re keeping Ludo.”
Huh. That’s brilliant. “No way the guards are going to refuse entry to a Drakeward,” I add, giving Max a thumbs up.
The professor starts to say something then stops, putting on a thinking expression. “You know, it’s not a terrible idea. Even if you can’t get him out, you can get the lay of the land.”
“As long as I don’t get a contrary command from my father,” Cosmo replies. He rubs the side of his neck and I’m suddenly reminded that he’s got his cunt-father’s sigil burned into his neck. Poor fucker.
“But yeah, let’s give it a try,” he continues. “I’m happy to do it.”
I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say he’s happy to do anything for someone else.
But Tee-Tee isn’t just someone.
“OK, after classes, Cosmo will go in and attempt to track down Ludo, but now,” the professor sighs deeply, “it is time to play the ridiculous roles allotted to us in this academy.”
Theo lets out a little whimper and I hug her close. “He’ll be alright, Tee. It’s Ludo. Silent but deadly.”
My girl shakes slightly, then looks up at me. Tears are caught in her eyelashes, but her mouth is slightly quirked. “Alright, let’s go and get on with this stupid day, and none of you get into trouble. Ludo is our priority.”
“You got it, boss,” I reply. She walks away from me and links arms with Alexis. Max comes over and digs me in the ribs with an elbow.
“What?” I ask.
“Did you really just call our magnificent minotaur a fart?” he grins.
Huh? Frowning, I replay my words. I didn’t insult Ludo at all, I’d never do that. All I said was that he was silent but deadly…
Oh.
Gods damn it.