head. Not even minding that some
of Karl's excess hair gel stuck to my palm, I wiped off my hand on
my
shirt with a laugh. Luther was standing silently behind them with his hands clasped patiently behind his back. I nodded to him to acknowledge his presence. I looked into Toby's eyes. They seemed tired and weak, but happy to see me. “Are you okay?” I asked, noticing the edges of the thick, white bandage that ran down the back of his neck and disappeared into his shirt collar.
Toby nodded. “I'm okay. Jared's medics insisted on the bandage." "Can't have someone with an open wound walking among Vampires,” Jared commented as he stopped behind me.
I understood and turned back to my partner. “And the TS-1138?” I asked apologetically, remembering how I had injected him back at the warehouse. "Feel kind of icky,” Toby admitted. “Still pretty groggy from the drug." "And what am I?” Karl asked spitefully, “Chopped liver? That Rose pod person nearly popped my head like a pimple."
"Gross,” I commented, then snickered. Crouching down, I looked the Goblin in the eyes. “Karl, are you okay?"
Karl shrugged. “I'm fine."
I waited for a moment, hoping there would be more after the point he made to be asked. When nothing came, I stood up and shook my head. I turned back to our host, who seemed to have, surprisingly, treated all three of us rather well. “What now?" "Now,” Jared said, drawing out the word, “we meet our mystery guest." Why did I suddenly feel like I was on a game show? Jared looked past me and nodded to Luther. Politely squeezing through, Luther moved to the gray door labeled seventy-six before us. Flattening his tie out of habit, he reached for the silver handle, pushed the door open, and stepped aside. Without hesitation, Jared swept through the open door and vanished from my sight. Luther motioned with his hand for us to follow his master. I took a tentative step toward the door, still not entirely at ease with this place, or our host. This could easily be another trap, and I was getting kind of tired of rushing headlong into them without a second thought. Glancing back hesitantly to Toby, I turned and walked into the room. But stopped two steps in.
The mystery guest was bolted to the wall with heavy iron restraints around his chest, wrists, legs, and ankles. Each of the iron straps had four heavy bolts in them and seemed to smolder faintly green indicating they had been magically imbued. Multiple glowing amulets hung around his neck and seemed to weigh him down. They, and the restraints, were draining his power, ensuring that he could not escape or injure anyone. His heavy robes gone, he looked beaten and abused; the jagged bite wounds in his neck still easily visible. Angry wounds sliced across his bare chest as if he had been whipped repeatedly for information. His red eyes looked tired and weak. I knew he had given up. He had tried to fight the
shirt with a laugh. Luther was standing silently behind them with his hands clasped patiently behind his back. I nodded to him to acknowledge his presence. I looked into Toby's eyes. They seemed tired and weak, but happy to see me. “Are you okay?” I asked, noticing the edges of the thick, white bandage that ran down the back of his neck and disappeared into his shirt collar.
Toby nodded. “I'm okay. Jared's medics insisted on the bandage." "Can't have someone with an open wound walking among Vampires,” Jared commented as he stopped behind me.
I understood and turned back to my partner. “And the TS-1138?” I asked apologetically, remembering how I had injected him back at the warehouse. "Feel kind of icky,” Toby admitted. “Still pretty groggy from the drug." "And what am I?” Karl asked spitefully, “Chopped liver? That Rose pod person nearly popped my head like a pimple."
"Gross,” I commented, then snickered. Crouching down, I looked the Goblin in the eyes. “Karl, are you okay?"
Karl shrugged. “I'm fine."
I waited for a moment, hoping there would be more after the point he made to be asked. When nothing came, I stood up and shook my head. I turned back to our host, who seemed to have, surprisingly, treated all three of us rather well. “What now?" "Now,” Jared said, drawing out the word, “we meet our mystery guest." Why did I suddenly feel like I was on a game show? Jared looked past me and nodded to Luther. Politely squeezing through, Luther moved to the gray door labeled seventy-six before us. Flattening his tie out of habit, he reached for the silver handle, pushed the door open, and stepped aside. Without hesitation, Jared swept through the open door and vanished from my sight. Luther motioned with his hand for us to follow his master. I took a tentative step toward the door, still not entirely at ease with this place, or our host. This could easily be another trap, and I was getting kind of tired of rushing headlong into them without a second thought. Glancing back hesitantly to Toby, I turned and walked into the room. But stopped two steps in.
The mystery guest was bolted to the wall with heavy iron restraints around his chest, wrists, legs, and ankles. Each of the iron straps had four heavy bolts in them and seemed to smolder faintly green indicating they had been magically imbued. Multiple glowing amulets hung around his neck and seemed to weigh him down. They, and the restraints, were draining his power, ensuring that he could not escape or injure anyone. His heavy robes gone, he looked beaten and abused; the jagged bite wounds in his neck still easily visible. Angry wounds sliced across his bare chest as if he had been whipped repeatedly for information. His red eyes looked tired and weak. I knew he had given up. He had tried to fight the