Monster Madness

Monster Madness by Dean Lorey

Book: Monster Madness by Dean Lorey Read Free Book Online
Authors: Dean Lorey
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to discover a hint of pride in the beast’s voice.
    Xix scuttled over to the kidnapped Netherstalker and began to speak to him in their own tongue: hisses and clicks and the occasional spitting sound. It was the first time Charlie had seen Xix among his own kind. He had grown so used to seeing the creature in his normal role as the Academy’s Beastmaster that he’d almost forgotten he wasn’t human—although it was hard to look at the large, spiderlike beast with the barbed hairs on his spindly legs and the streaked violet pattern on his shiny black back and think he was anything other than a monster.
    “So…you been okay?” William asked Theodore as the creatures conversed. Charlie was surprised by the question—nothing about William’s previous attitude suggested he was even remotely interested in his son.
    “Great!” Theodore answered, clearly as shocked by the question as Charlie. “I really love the Academy!”
    “He’s one of the best Nethermancers there,” Violet added.
    “Definitely,” Charlie said.
    William glanced at the three of them, then turned to Theodore. “It was a good thing you did, insisting on coming here to help your friend. I like that.”
    Theodore looked utterly astonished. “Well…thanks!” He broke out in a wide, crooked grin.
    Just then, Xix stepped nimbly over to them, having finished talking to the captured creature.
    “Well?” William asked.
    “He doesn’t know much,” Xix replied. “But he does know that they’ve relocated the lair to the ‘Frozen Wastes,’ wherever that is. His job was to stay behind and flood the old lair with lava to erase all evidence of their ever having been here.”
    “Sounds like he drew the short straw,” Rex said.
    “So what do they want?” Charlie asked. “Barakkas and Verminion, I mean? What are they trying to do?”
    But before Xix could ask the captured creature, it answered on its own—
    “Kill…everyone…”
    The assembled Banishers and Nethermancers glanced uneasily at one another.
    “We gotta find ’em,” Rex said. “Wherever they are, we gotta hunt down those Named and kill one of ’em, and we can’t stop until we do.”
    Charlie’s stomach felt sour. Killing one of the Named was a nearly impossible task to begin with, but now they didn’t even know where Barakkas and Verminion were. Already they had suffered a serious defeat—and they hadn’t even begun to fight. In time, it was possible they could discover the location of the new lair, but was there enough time?
    It’s all up to the Headmaster now, Charlie thought.
    He hoped she’d found the Guardian alive.
    He hoped she’d be able to keep it that way.
    He hoped it wasn’t too late.

CHAPTER SIX
    INTO THE DEPTHS
    The Nightmare Academy was always a welcome sight—those massive wrecked ships sitting on the branches of the world’s most gigantic banyan tree never failed to leave Charlie awestruck—but this time he was so upset that he barely gave it a glance.
    “What’s wrong, Charlie?” Violet asked as she finished the last of the mango she was having for lunch. “We haven’t even been back a whole day, and you look like an Ectobog swallowed your mother.”
    “What’s wrong?” he snapped. “What’s not wrong! Rex and Tabitha are trying to find Verminion’s new lair on Earth; the Headmaster is in the Nether, trying to help the Guardian…”
    “So?”
    “So we’re stuck here doing nothing!”
    “Aha!” Violet exclaimed. “You’re just angry that we’re out of the action. Relax. Our part in this is done. We’re just Noobs.”
    “Addys,” Theodore quickly corrected her. “I don’t care what Pinch said. We still have to get a ruling from the Headmaster on that when she gets back.”
    “Well, my point is that serious stuff is going on and it’s no longer our responsibility.”
    “You’re right.” Charlie sighed. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t help in some way.”
    Frustrated, he leaned against the railing of the pirate ship

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