Monster War. Dean Lorey

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СКАЧАТЬ a few weeks earlier, Slagguron, one of the four Named Lords of the Nether, had slammed his wormlike body against the trunk of the massive tree, knocking several boats from its branches and damaging many more. Charlie still found it hard to believe that the raging colossus was dead now - he and all the Named - killed, in an instant, by the Fifth.

      “You’re thinking about the Fifth, aren’t you?” Theodore asked. Charlie always found it eerie how good his best friend was at reading his mind. He nodded.

      “Yeah. I guess so.”

      “Well, stop it! You don’t have to kill the most deadly monster the world has ever known right this second. Heck, you can relax for five or ten minutes before you go after her…”

      “How generous,” Charlie grinned. But his grin quickly faded. “Look, I know I’m not supposed to be here right now - being exiled and all - but I think the Fifth is up to something, something big, and we need to check it out.” But before he could continue, a new voice suddenly cried out.

      “Charlie Benjamin!”

      Charlie turned to see Brooke Brighton waving to him from a platform high above. Even from this far away, he was amazed by how pretty she was.

      “Hey, Brooke!”

      “Stay right there.”

      With an excited whoop! she slid down a vine strung between her platform and the Addy yacht far below, her long, blonde hair whipping freely in the wind. She landed next to Charlie with the nimbleness of a cat. “I missed you!” she said, then hugged him tightly before giving him a quick, friendly kiss.

      There, Charlie thought, remembering his mother telling him he’d never even kissed a girl. Now I’ve been kissed twice.

      “Hi, Brooke,” Theodore said expectantly. “You miss me too?”

      “Lame,” Violet said, pretending to cough.

      “I am not lame!”

      “I didn’t say anything. Just had a little tickle in my throat.” Violet coughed again and said, “Desperate.”

      “Hey!”

      “Of course I’ve missed you, silly,” Brooke said with a smile. She gave Theodore a quick hug, then turned to Charlie. “So where have you been? Tell us everything.”

      “I will…but you go first. Has anyone from the Nightmare Division been to the Academy?”

      Brooke nodded. “Yeah. They checked out the damage that Slagguron did and said they were going to come up with a plan to protect the place. We’re completely exposed to the monsters of the Nether now that the Guardian’s dead.”

      The Guardian.

      A pang of sadness hit Charlie upon hearing the name of the small, sad creature whose aura had always protected the Academy from Nethercreatures. Its shocking death had set into motion the horrific chain of events that was still unfolding.

      “I still think about him, you know,” Charlie said. “How needy he was. He just wanted a friend really.”

      Violet nodded. “Ever since his death, the Nightmare Division has wanted to station some Banishers and Nethermancers here to protect us.”

      And to keep me away, Charlie thought. Even though he didn’t exactly know the terms of his exile, he knew they wouldn’t want him anywhere near the Academy.

      “So why did you come here, DT?” Theodore asked. “Is it about what’s going on in Central Park?”

      Once again, Charlie found it freaky how easily Theodore could read his mind. He nodded. “What do you know about it?”

      “Well, what I heard,” Brooke said, “is that, apparently, the Division used some kind of X-ray equipment to look into the mist.”

      “And there’s things in there!” Theodore exclaimed. “Gross, snail-like creatures. And something else too. Something big is growing in the fog. Something giant.”

      Something giant growing in the fog. That didn’t sound good.

      “Someone needs to check it out,” Charlie said. “And I figure that someone is us. Who’s with me?”

      But before they could answer, a familiar voice rang out.

      “What are y’all yappin’ about?”

      “Mama Rose!” Charlie yelled as the Housemistress of the Nightmare Academy stepped into view. “Great to see you!”

      “I wish I could say the same,” the large woman sniffed, her meaty hands on her thick hips. “You’re skin and bones, Charlie Benjamin! Now follow me so we can get some grub into you pronto.”

      Before Charlie could resist, Mama Rose roughly ushered them up to the pirate ship at the very top of the Academy - ever since Slagguron’s attack had destroyed the galley, the students had been using it as their new mess hall. Steaming piles of pancakes were heaped in towering stacks on a great wooden table.

      “Pancakes for dinner?” Charlie asked with a grin.

      “And why not?” Mama Rose replied, her southern accent as thick as the maple syrup that dripped off the food. “They don’t call them ‘breakfast cakes’, do they? They call ’em pancakes and pan is just the Greek word for ‘all’, which means you can eat ’em all the time.”

      “Are you nuts?” Theodore howled. “They call them pancakes cos you cook them in a pan. Duh.”

      “Well, don’t you just know everything, Theodore Dagget!” Mama Rose shot Charlie a wink and he couldn’t help but laugh.

      It was good to be home. Or at least Charlie felt that way until he saw Geoff Lench - Brooke’s too-handsome, too-strong, too-everything boyfriend. The tall, blond boy bounded over. “Well, look who’s back. It’s Charlie Benja-traitor.”

      “Benja-traitor?” Theodore replied with a snort. “Was that supposed to be a joke? Because usually jokes have some element of humour in them.”

      “Shut up, Theo-dumb.”

      Theodore shrieked with fake laughter. “Theo…dumb! Genius! In fact…it’s so funny that…I’m dying…from…hilarity…”

      Theodore laughed so violently that he fell off the bench and on to the floor, where he twitched a few times and then went still.

      “Ha, ha,” Geoff said as he sat down next to Brooke. “Your friends are morons, you know that?”

      “They’re funny,” she replied, “and I like them.”

      “Well, you’re the only one. You really need to stay away from these clowns, Brooke - particularly the exile.” He shot a withering glance at Charlie. “I leave tomorrow morning to start my job at the Division - Facilitator, Rank 1, thank you very much, hold the applause. They’ll be asking you to come and join me soon, Brooke, if you just don’t СКАЧАТЬ