“The hell was that all about?” asked Theseus as the crowd dispersed around them, “And I thought Lyra would be the first one to try and nail that creep in the balls,”

“It’s probably a good job she didn’t try,” said Kat, watching the gymnasium door slam shut with a gust of wind, “I get the feeling she’d have burned the place down in frustration,”

“Yeah, that guy sure has a cocky side, that’s for sure,” said Theseus, “Damn well knew just what buttons to press to get ol’ Phantasia riled up like that. Wouldn’t want to see him and Lyra come to blows. Well, I would, but still…”

“Phantasia must know something,” said Kat, “Just like Ms Shimomura said, she sees things we can’t…”

She jumped down the steps two at a time, then broke into a run as she hit the pavement below. Theseus followed without need for explanation. After a short sprint along the front of the Academy they noticed the two faeries twisting into the cul-de-sac outside Ruby House and Kat pushed herself harder. She could already guess who would be waiting for them in that familiar area with its low wall overlooking the eastern forest. That Dante would be conversing with Phantasia, whom he wasn’t particularly fond of, made Kat anxious as to just what Phantasia knew about their common enemy.

She should have guessed the faeries would be waiting for them when they arrived – both would have sensed their approach, and Faye Kat’s unguarded thoughts. They were waiting just where she expected them to be as well – standing by a brooding Dante, who sat with arms crossed in the usual place, John Smith at his side.

“Looks like you guys’ve got quite the little conspiracy going here,” said Theseus.

“You are not the only ones with suspicions about the one who calls himself ‘Adonis’,” said Faye.

“Glad to hear it, but what the hell was all that about?” asked Theseus, thumbing in the direction of the gymnasium.

Dante chuckled: his dark, almost sinister chuckle tainted with self-assurance. “Told her it wasn’t gonna work,”

“We needed more proof before we could act openly,” added John.

“We don’t have time!” said Phantasia with flailing arms, “We don’t know what that Adonis is going to do! We can’t sit around waiting for him to act! That’s what everyone else is doing!”

Faye watched Kat and Theseus with her unblinking lapis lazuli eyes. “Perhaps the inclusion of Katrina Ritches and Theseus Armstrong into our investigation may provide us with further options,”

“Told you to find Kat before running off, but like you’d listen to me,” said Dante, looking down on Phantasia with a haughty smirk, “This damned girl thinking she’s the chosen one or something,”

“I do not think I’m the chosen one!”

“You act like you do,”

“You’re the one who brought it up!”

John coughed, interrupting the minor argument. “Can you two give it a break for a minute, please?”

“Your clashing ideologies do not further our cause,” added Faye.

“Eh, I think I’m kinda missing something here,” said Theseus, “And by ‘something’ I mean ‘everything’,”

Faye took a few steps towards them, her expression unreadable. “Perhaps it would be best if I informed you of our recent activities,”

“Well, sure, but it better not be a long story ’cause I could do with a bite to eat, you know?”

Faye’s pupil-less eyes were fixed on them, unmoving, unblinking. Kat found them almost as uncomfortable to meet as she did Adonis’s.

“It will take an instant,” said the faerie.

Theseus spluttered. “An insta—Oh, yeah, faerie…and all that…”

“Our suspicions began around the same time as yours,” began Faye, “But for much different reasons…”

~ With answers come more questions – where will this all lead?! ~
~ Next: What the faeries saw…~

Chapter 64
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