Chapter 279: Watching the Defectives

Chapter 279: Watching the Defectives

Finally, said Arthur, youre leaving. Let me show you out.

I got the feeling he wasnt walking us to the door out of politeness, more to make sure we actually left. Whether or not Arthur was what he appeared, one thing was for surehe had no interest in having us around.

Is there anything you can tell us about the Pope before we go? I asked him. Any advice?

Dont be a freeloader, repay your debts and dont bother people too much.

I meant advice for dealing with the Pope.

Good advice applies to all situations, said Arthur.

What about the druids? asked Maurice. Are they going to cause any trouble?

Theyre harmless, said Arthur. Just persistent. Like weeds.

We were at the front door as he herded us through like a wily old sheepdog.

And the giant green brain? I asked as he began closing the doors on us.

I have no idea what youre talking about.

Like broccoli, said Maurice.

No thanks, said Arthur, Ive already eaten.

There was definitely something off about Arthur. I was sure he wasnt what he appeared to be, but that didnt necessarily mean he was a threat to us. Its hard to hurt people you have no intention of seeing ever again, other than emotionally.Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

Good luck, he said as he closed the door. Id never seen him so cheerful.

I feel like he didnt really want us here, said Maurice.

Dudley made a sad mewing sound. I think it was the pain of rejection dribbling out of him, like the last bit of air coming out of a deflated balloon.

We set off on our walk back to the city centre. It was a pleasant day, a little on the warm side, and the druids were swaying in the mild breeze. I could see them hiding behind the trees and hedges lining our route.

Can you see what the girls are doing? I asked Dudley.

Sorry, not while Im walking, he said. It takes time to move my head closer to them.

It wasnt entirely clear to me what he was talking about.

He has to physically send his eyesight to the place he wants to see, said Maurice. That didnt make it much clearer.

It took some questioning to understand how his newly discovered ability worked. To see things far away required him to shift his vision that distance, like piloting a GoPro on a drone. He had to fly his eyeballs in the sky from where he was to where his target was getting undressed. Or whatever they were doing.

Well be closer to the temple from the inn, I said. Should make it easier for you to spy on the girls.

Um, I wouldnt call it spying, said Dudley. I mean, ah, I would never intrude, if, you know, a situation of undress were to occur

Very convincing. But you could, though, couldnt you? And they would have no idea. Your superhero name is Ultimate Peeping Tom.

No, no, no, said Dudley, all flustered and beetroot in the face. Purely for emergencies. Search and rescue.

I didnt really think he would abuse his gift, but with great power comes great potential for kinky shit. Dudley had very narrow interests when it came to that sort of thing, even though narrow was the opposite of what he was into.

Can we go past the Mega Temple? asked Maurice.

Sure, why not? Its on the way.

He could have claimed it was for research purposes, but there was no need. It wasnt like we had anything else to do. Three guys on the town, footloose and horribly lonely. If he wanted to be a little closer to where the girls were carrying on without us, so be it. If he pulled out a boombox and started playing Peter Gabriel, then wed have a problem.

We had the slightly bewildered demeanour of tourists as we walked through the main square. People rushed around us with great purpose, as we aimlessly shuffled about.

The Mega Temple dominated the square. Hard to miss a giant human skull. Streaming fabric softened the outline, but you cant really take the edge off Death by giving him a fancy hairstyle.

If you have to pay to get fast-tracked inside, said Maurice, how did the girls get in so quickly?

I looked at the queue. It was almost entirely male. Because theyre girls?

We made our way back to the inn. Wed paid in advance (another reason we were more or less skint) so at least we still had our rooms. The girls were safely tucked up in bed, so we had time to grab lunch, and maybe a nap of our own.

I needed a way to make moneyit would probably serve us better than magic when it came to dealing with the Shriners, which was just as well since I still couldnt produce as much as a glow on the end of my finger. I couldnt even do a little busking with my balls of light to raise some pocket money.

After eating in glum silence, we went up to the biggest of our three rooms, which was the one Id given to Claire and Maurice, and Dudley set up on the bed for a long night of remote viewing.

As long as we knew they were safe, the anxiety was at a manageable level. If something happened we didnt really have a plan.

While Dudley did his thing. Maurice and I batted a few ideas back and forth, just so we could say we did. He had brought up a bottle from the bar and seemed pretty depressed as he took long chugs.

He could have at least helped me work out what my power is. He referred to Arthur. Maurice was the only one who hadnt exhibited supernatural abilities so far, and it was making him feel a bit worthless.

Im not sure he knows how. Im not sure he is who he says he is. I explained why I was starting to suspect Arthur of not being a Visitor.

Who could he be, then?

I shrugged. Maybe hes Joshaya.

Why would a god need us to do all this for him? said Maurice bitterly. Hes a god. He should do his own miracles.

Maybe the Pope has special anti-god powers, I said. Gods give life, necromancers control death. Perhaps they balance each other out.

This is Claires fault. Maurice gulped down more wine. I let her get away with too much. Im too nice to her.

I agreed with him, but it never seemed like it was really his choice. She did what she thought was right, I said, somehow ending up defending the insufferable bint.

Well, she shouldnt. She should do what I tell her. When I get her back, Im not going to let her make any more decisions. I suppose you think Im full of shit? Lets say I wasnt convinced. You dont know her. You dont know anything about what shed really like. Sometimes I get mad at her and put my foot down, I mean, really put my foot down, and she gives in, all the way. She likes it when I tell her what to do. A lot.

There was some strange sexual undertone to what he was saying that I definitely didnt want to explore, but I was more than willing to believe she had a thing for guys who took charge. Most girls do.

Its not an easy thing to say without coming off like a prick, but thats why equality is such a hard thing to maintain. People dont want to live a balanced life in all areas, and its tough trying to separate your mindset for different departments of a relationship.

Maurice continued complaining about the love of his life, as you do, and eventually passed out. More from excessive yearning than the alcohol. I sat by the window and watched the light fade.

There were druids on the street corners. They probably had some of the answers we were seeking, but I didnt fancy kidnapping one and trying to threaten him with a potato peeler. We werent the most intimidating bunch and my new power hadnt yielded much in the way of results so far. Id have preferred to have my beast magicat least I could heal myself with that.

Of course, Jenny might not need me to come to her rescue. She might not need me ever again. It was a sobering thought. Despite my desire to be left alone, I had become somewhat addicted to her. Which sounds kind of romantic, but there are no good addictions. Even air will kill you if you dont get enough of it.

I felt myself detach from my body. Thinking about Jenny seemed to be a trigger for me. I floated over the room. Dudley had a strange glowing tube growing out of his head, like a periscope. Maurice was lying beside him. Both had numerous appendages covering them. My body looked oddly naked, by comparison.

I drifted down to look at my own face. What a dork. Nothing about me looked remarkable. My anonymity was my highest scoring attribute. A one-stop shop for a big bag of nothing.

As I inspected my own ridiculous face, I saw something. A movement in the centre of my forehead, a tiny tip of a tail. Great, now I had ringworm.

It couldnt really be worms. Nothing could move here except for the tentacles that bound people to each other. Carefully, I grabbed the worm-like protuberance in a pinch between thumb and forefinger, and pulled.

It was hard to get a grip, but slowly I extracted a thread that turned into a worm, into a snake. I had to really lean back and use all my non-corporeal strength to pull it out.

It came out with a pop and wriggled in my hand. As I watched, it stopped moving, dried up like seaweed, and crumbled to nothing.

There was a dark spot in the middle of my forehead that faded away, leaving me with the same gormless visage as before. That spot had been where Arthur had touched me. I sank back into my body and returned to the (relatively) normal world with an instant migraine.

I moved my fingers and a ball of light appeared.

Arthur had blocked my magic, I was sure of it. Why, though? Whatever the answer, at least I had one weapon back in my armory. Hopefully, I wouldnt need it.

Dudley gasped for air and his eyes opened wide. The girls. Theyve gone into the darkness.

What darkness? said Maurice, suddenly very awake and sober.

The darkness under the temple, said Dudley. And theyre not alone down there.