Spellbound & Hellhounds, page 18
part #1 of Coven Chronicles Series
Chapter 23:
The teleportation spell dropped them in the middle of Vanessa’s living room. Clumps of snow that was clinging to their clothing fell from their attire and landed on the carpet, making the fibers soggy as it quickly melted from the warmth of the apartment.
“What in the name of magic?” Lyx said as she put down a teacup onto a small saucer and rushed over to the living room. She stared down at the melting mounds of white and then to them. “That is going to make a mess,” she added in a hushed voice.
Taking a moment to look them over, she saw the drying blood on Vanessa’s forehead and her eyes widened. “Vanessa,” she gasped and reached for the girl’s face to draw her in closely and inspected the rather clean wound. The small healing spell sealed the gash and managed to clear up the more problematic bits of the injury. But, once at the witch’s side, Lyx’s eyes wandered over to Bobo’s tattered clothing and inhaled with a startled expression. “Booboo!” she turned on a coin and snatched Bobo’s arm and tugged it to her. There was no finesse or gentleness to her touch. The ogre hissed in pain and pressed his lips tightly together as he turned his head away and stifled – as best as an ogre could – a growl of pain. “What is this?” A sharp nail pointed at the half-closed, blood crusted wound on his upper arm.
Vanessa and Bobo cast their gaze to the floor and averted the heated glare that Lyx was mentally melting them with at any cost. The succubus whipped her attention to Leon and snarled in a whisper, “And you! Leaving the house in a rush. You didn’t even wake me up. You went out in the start of a blizzard, Leon. A blizzard!” Her harsh tone made him look away as well. He had put himself in harm’s way to come after her and greatened his chances of being hurt by not bringing his pet with him. This made Vanessa turn her head just enough that she could see him and looked the Spellweaver over. He was that worried about her? She felt bad now. Not only was Bobo put in harm’s way, and she had made Lyx worried, but she had caused Leon so much trouble and had him driven up the wall with his concerns over her wellbeing.
She frowned and looked down to the living room floor covered in puddles of melted snow. As her gaze floated down, she caught sight of skin slightly frayed and a burst of red on Leon’s knuckles. That was when she remembered the crystal ball call with him in the cave. Vanessa frowned deepened as she realized that the sound she had heard before Leon went off the glass was him hitting a wall. Just as Leon looked over to her, she averted her gaze and fidgeted with the spell bags dangling from her hip.
Lyx eyed them all over quietly and huffed in a rage before fluffing up her hair. As if the simple action had washed all the aggression out of the succubus, her voice returned to its usual sultry tone. “Well, fussing won’t fix anything. Come on then. Let’s get you guys cleaned up and out of those wet clothes before you wind up finding your death from a cold.” That would be the hellfire of it all, wouldn’t it? Escape death countless times within the tunnels only to find their foot in a grave from being soaked to the bone and chilled by the elements.
They were ushered out of the room to wash up, Leon to one bathroom and Vanessa to her own. Meanwhile, Lyx made Bobo sit on a large stool at the breakfast bar as she tended to his wound while he waited for a washroom to open.
He squirmed in the chair, and it whined under his weight, but he complied with the woman nonetheless. “I’m fine,” Bobo tried to reason with the fussing demoness.
“Hush,” she snipped sternly. She would have none of his excuses. She wanted a reason to play nurse to him but more so, she wanted to make sure that his wounds were properly tended to. Lyx fetched the first aid kit, and Bobo stared at the breakfast counter. There was a cobalt and pearl tea set with a thin gold line separating the two striking colors. It was a set for two, and one cup was on either side of the wooden serving tray.
Lyx came back with the kit and watched Bobo as he looked at the set. “I bought it for you,” she said and then turned to the open bag, inspecting each item withdrawn until she had everything she needed to tend to his wound. “I got it a few days ago. I just haven’t found the right time to give it to you.”
Slowly, Bobo turned from her, a bit awestruck, to the tea set before him. “That’s for me?”
She nodded. “There is a cinnamon and clove blend in the pot. It’s been steeping for a few minutes. I thought a spicy tea would help warm you up and relax you after your unexpected adventure,” she spoke calmly. Moments like this didn’t happen between the two. She was always battling for his affections while he spent every ounce of his energy trying to escape them.
He looked at her like he was seeing Lyx for what she really was for the first time. Not just an affection starved woman that pawed at him relentlessly like a begging kitten, but like a kind and friendly she-demon. His mouth was parted like he had gone drop jawed and caught it at the last minute. She took out a wipe and started to clean the wound on his arm causing him to slowly screw his mouth shut. Her amber orbs were fixed on the task at hand and didn’t take notice. Bobo slumped his shoulders a bit before he spoke in a soft manner to her. “Thank you, Lyx. I very much appreciate the gesture.”
The succubus stopped mid-motion on her handy work and flashed an astonished look to the ogre, but he was focused on using his free hand to pour a helping of tea from the pot into the delicate cup. He drew the steaming cup close to him and sipped from it. Holding the sip in his mouth to enjoy the taste upon his pallet a bit more, he looked down at the cup and nodded with a slow growing smile inching over his lips. “Very nice,” he whispered.
Lyx beamed, elated with the compliment and went back to fixing up his arm until they all could get to a medic who could perform a better healing spell on the gash.
The three of them bathed, changed into a set of fresh, warm clothes, and healed up with minor mending spells once again. Despite Lyx’s nagging, the trio explained that leaving the house to visit a healer wouldn’t be the best option. Though she didn’t understand, she relented in her begging just as Leon motioned to the living room. “I think we need to discuss a few things,” Leon announced and ushered everyone into the seating area.
Bobo and Lyx drank tea while Vanessa and Leon had hot chocolate. All the while, Bobo and Vanessa explained everything that they had endured and seen down in the twisting tunnels beneath the academy. The look on Leon and Lyx’s face was one of deep seeded concern. Vanessa’s fears were confirmed with Leon’s first comment since she and Bobo had weaved their tale to them.
“This means that there is a group of people at the Coven that have been covering this up.” He paused and thought for a moment. “And they’d have to be pretty high up to hide something of this caliber.”
“I was afraid you’d say something like that,” Vanessa grumbled.
“The fact remains that we have to let someone know about all of this,” Bobo said.
“Yeah, but if we tell the wrong person we might wind up M.I.A.” Leon sighed and threw himself back on the couch. “Why couldn’t you just stay home, Vanessa?” he half-whined.
She rolled her eyes. “Not much can be done about that now,” she grumbled. “If they’ve been covering all of this up then I can promise you, they know that we were down there tonight, and they will assume that I’ve already told you.”
“That’s a pretty hard lined assumption, Vanessa,” Leon warned.
“But an accurate one,” Lyx defended.
“True,” Leon exhaled like he had just returned from a long day of work. “This whole thing is just a mess. Let’s just … let’s all just try to get some rest for now. Let me think of a plan and get back to you.”
Vanessa rubbed the back of her neck before saying,“Yeah, you’re right. Even though that healing prayer spell helped out a bunch, I’m still pretty worn down from all the magic I had to perform tonight.”
“And all the running,” Bobo added with a slight laugh.
“I haven’t run like that since the training period my first year in the Coven,” Vanessa groaned.
Everyone laughed. The mood had been lightened, but it was the tug of sleep on their eyelids and the pleas from sore limbs for soft feathery beds that sent them swiftly to sleep that night. For their minds were troubled with the worries of who at the Coven was betraying them all and whether they’d be coming for them when they least expected it.
No matter the foe or dangers, lack of sleep and tired bodies wouldn’t get them very far in a fight. So, with mumbled “goodnights” uttered between long stretched out yawns, they each departed to their rooms with their bunking partners and settled in for a good night’s rest.
Chapter 24:
The sudden thundering knock on Vanessa’s door a few hours later made her lunge upright and leap out of bed. Miscalculating the distance of the edge of her bed and her body, coupled with the fact that she was twisted in her sheets, caused Vanessa to fall flat on her face. A sharp cry was short lived before it was quickly stifled by her plush carpeted flooring. Rubbing the sore spot in the center of her face and whimpering to herself in pain, she hobbled gracefully to the door and flung it open. She wore a look that promised she’d curse the dramatic door knocker and a hand cradled her injured nose. Leon was the recipient of her sweet disposition. “What?” she snapped, mentally hoping that this would finally be her excuse to fling a spell at the man.
He held up a crystal ball in her face, and she inspected it quickly, seeing nothing there but a slightly darkened orb, and then looked back to him. “Congratulations. It’s an orb, Leon.” What was so great about an orb with no call?
Ignoring her cranky demeanor, he spoke like the comment never left her mouth. “The Coven called me just now. They want us to come in.” It didn’t take long for the news to sink in. “They said they tried to call you,” Leon added with a stare.
She looked behind her. “I didn’t hear my crystal ball buzz. I must have…” she stopped as she remembered kicking it down the hall and the object slamming into the minotaur. The whole chain of events scrambling through her mind at top speeds before she looked back at Leon in pure horror. “Oh… Oh, imp poo,” she whispered and let her shoulders slump, her head bow in defeat, and her arms dangle dejectedly.
“What?”
Her worried expression met his, and she hated every word that she spoke, “I left it in the tunnels last night…”
Leon could only stare at her blinking while he tried to remember how to speak. “You what?” She only stared back in silence. “Vanessa, tell me you didn’t say that you left your crystal ball back in the tunnels.” His need for clarification was masked with a forced smile and a free hand jutting a finger into his ear to clean it out.
“No…” she replied while nodding with an I’m-so-guilty cringe.
“I’m doomed,” he groaned and turned to throw himself onto the wall, a clutched fist lightly banging on the surface, and he buried his face into the bend of his opposite arm. “I’m going to be demoted and—when all have forgotten my greatness—I will be killed in a horrific ‘accident’ and buried in the farthest reaches of an unknown graveyard,” he moaned.
“What’s his problem?” Bobo asked as he emerged from his room.
She leaned so Bobo could see her fully. “He thinks the Coven is going to demote him and make his death look like an accident.”
“Oh, is that all?”
“Because I might have left my crystal ball in the tunnels last night, and the Coven wants us to come in today…”
That made Bobo pause and turn to face her. “Now that is an issue.”
“What’s an issue?” Lyx asked as she placed a cup on the breakfast bar. The movement caught Bobo’s attention, and he saw the cup of cappuccino on the counter and instinctively reached for it. It was his morning ritual, after all.
Sipping the drink, he watched as a plate was then slid in front of him, next to his saucer. Blinking, Bobo looked to Lyx who beamed with joy as her tail flicked behind her in a joyful, almost spastic, dance. “Oh, I don’t uhm…” he looked down as he tried to politely decline the food, but he stopped to look at the dish and was amazed at what he found. Pointing at the items on the plate, he excitedly began to list off each dish, “Is that corn beef hash? Oh, my, and that is eggs in a basket—”
Lyx added, “Only the whites. I know you’ve been watching your cholesterol lately.”
His eyes held amazement as he looked from her to the plate of food. “It’s a perfect golden color, and the whites are pristine. You cooked it so evenly and precise.” He started to lift the egg filled toast and inspect it from all sides. “My word,” he whispered.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” She spun around and grabbed a bowl from the counter and then brought it over to him, nestling it close to his plate.
Gasping, Bobo inspected the newly added dish. “Is that?” He sniffed at the bowl of assorted cut fruit and his eyes fluttered. “Honey, lemon, and mint dressing.” He started to seat himself down on one of the stools.
Lyx gave a charming curve of her lips as she motioned to the circle toast cut outs made from the eggs in a basket. “I spread a thin layer of lemon curd on these for you. Can’t let good food go to waste.”
“Bobo, I thought you were going to go to the Grim Bean this morning,” Vanessa teased from behind Leon – who was still pounding against the wall in his silent rage.
“Honestly, it’d be a waste of coin. Besides, Lyx went through the trouble of making it, it would be a shame if I didn’t eat it. The Coven shall have to wait,” he declared with fork in hand.
“I made enough for everyone,” Lyx announced happily to Leon and Vanessa.
“Oh good, my last meal,” Leon groaned.
“Oh, hush your griping and come eat. It’s most likely just a routine check-in back at HQ,” Vanessa scolded as she grabbed Leon by the arm and guided him over to the breakfast bar to eat. For that moment in time, they ignored their troubles and worries as they quietly ate the delicious meal that Lyx had prepared.
The four of them took a few moments before heading to headquarters after their breakfast. Hoping that the extra time spent before using a teleportation spell would ease their nerves and aid in settling their stomachs after the large meal. The blizzard was almost in full swing out in the streets of Tolvade. Even if they wanted to walk that day, the blistering winds and blinding blasts of fat snowflakes would make the commute on foot next to impossible.
The arrival pads had a delay due to the high volume of bodies needing to use teleportation spells because of the weather. As such, if questioned by the Coven, it was the perfect excuse for their late arrival, and none would be the wiser to the breakfast delay. While they feasted, they made sure to have their stories straight between the four of them to avoid any verbal lashing or serious repercussions.
They landed in the main entryway to the Coven. They immediately stepped out of the arrival gate, so others could port in. Almost immediately another member materialized before rushing off in a flutter of cloak and purpose toward one of the main desks. Across from them, a small group was gathered on the departure gate, and Vanessa watched as they spoke about eating at Merlin’s before they poofed from her sight. The flow of bodies was heavily congested near the arrival and departure pads and made it hard to hear Leon when he spoke up.
“Let’s check in with Ell before we head up,” he advised and led the way to the main center help desk.
As they all approached the desk, Ell popped up from below the desk counter, dumping a mess of papers that she was clutching close to her chest across the surface. While she tried to sort the stack and keep a small pile in her grasp, a strand of hair fell between her eyes. Annoyed, she blew at it relentlessly as she attempted to remove it from tickling her nose. Ell was cross-eyed when they arrived at the desk, her gaze focused on the annoying lock dangling in her view.
Jumping as soon as she noticed Bobo first and then the others, she dropped the remaining papers and stared at the floor as the files fell back down. Pouting, she sighed and tucked the defiant tress behind her ear with one of her now empty hands. “Hey,” Ell said before dipping down to pick up the papers again.
There were dark circles under the woman’s eyes, and her mane looked messier than usual – if such a thing could be achieved. Her attire appeared worn for wear, and she seemed lethargic as she muddled about her work.
“Ell, are you all right?” Vanessa asked, clearly concerned for the poor girl.
“Hmm?” she hummed as she popped back up and tried to sort through the paperwork. “Oh, I’m all right.”
“You don’t look it, darling,” Lyx pointed out. “You look like you’ve not slept in days.”
“Oh, that…” Ell sounded like it just dawned upon her that she appeared tired to them. “Things have been crazy here,” she said finally. “I wound up pulling a double—” she paused to check her watch, and her eyes bulged as she realized the hour, “Make that a triple shift.”
“My word, woman. That’s positively absurd. Why on Raen would you do such a thing?” Bobo gasped.
She fussed with the papers again. “Dispatch stumbled onto a massive grey spell. Caused a big uproar. A few blue cloaks made a big stink about it before they called a meeting. Not long after, there was a team ordered to sweep the area that was pinged on the Great Orb. Only a few hours later there was a big scene caused at the Dark Market. Messed up a lot of future Dark Market raids and that caused even more chaos.” She looked at all of them. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Coven called us in for a meeting with the High Priest Council,” Leon answered.
“Oh. Let me tell them you’re all here,” she scrambled for a crystal ball. She mentally linked with the orb, and it floated in her hand with a dim yellow aura. One of the secretaries picked up, and Ell dropped her voice down as she informed the blue cloak’s administrator that Vanessa and Leon had arrived. For some reason, the bright expression on the tired woman’s face slowly left her features before it twisted into confusion. She looked upset and like she wasn’t sure what to do, almost as if she were on the verge of crying.
