Agent Unraveled by Thomas K. Carpenter

Author:Thomas K. Carpenter [Carpenter, Thomas K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Moon Books
Published: 2019-03-09T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

Undercity, March 2017

Five heads are not better than one

The hydra was a rare beast, but not entirely unknown. A small two-headed version had been caught off Mykonos island about eight years ago. Zayn vividly remembered the nets and chains around the poor frightened creature as they dragged it onto the shore.

The hydra had wailed and fought against the ropes, clearly a youngling by its size and reaction. It'd been no larger than a warhorse, the heads more giraffe sized than dinosaur. Paleontologists claimed the hydra was a version of a brontosaurus warped by magic during prehistoric times, but it was an unproven hypothesis.

"I've never seen nor heard of a specimen this size nor with this many heads," said Adele with a certain mixture of awe and wonder.

"How do they get so many heads?" he asked.

"If one gets chopped off, two grow in its place," said Adele. "Something must have attacked it, or it damaged itself somehow."

She didn't sound like she believed the latter, and if it were the former, he didn't want to meet something that could attack a hydra this large and survive.

"This will make your job more difficult," she said.

"Let me guess, I'm the one that gets to take the sample," he said.

"After you pacify it with your imbuement," said Adele.

Zayn froze. "Did Priyanka tell you?"

Patron Adele speared him with an amused gaze. "Who do you think helped her and Percival design the imbuement? This has been a work in progress for many years. Far too many of the Halls foes are non-human, which makes the normal sorcerous methods more challenging."

Reflexively, Zayn touched his side, feeling like he was wearing a priceless piece of art rather than an imbuement.

"Merlin," exclaimed Zayn. "How am I going to deal with that beast?"

"If it is not within your ability, we can return to the surface and consult Priyanka about the next steps," said Adele.

"No," said Zayn, then a second time more emphatically. "No. I can do this. It's just not...what I was expecting."

"I will stay in the boat and protect you from the well," said Adele.

"Back in the boat? But how do I get to that island?" he asked.

"You'll swim."

"Swim? I thought you said I couldn't survive in the water because of the Cthulhu jellies?"

A broad smile broke across her face. "Then you'll have to be quick. I can lure them away from the area temporarily, but they will return and I'll be too busy with your shield to remove them again."

Zayn studied the island and the hydra's path while he undressed to his underclothes. A chuckle slipped out when he thought about the earth well.

"Is something funny?"

"At the last one, Priyanka jokingly told me I'd have to get naked to get a sample," he said.

"It won't bother me if you don't want to get your underwear wet. I have few inhibitions," said Adele with a blank expression.

"Yeah...I'm still going to wear my underwear. No offense."

"None taken," she said. "It is your choice."

When Zayn was ready to make his swim, Adele knelt down in the back of the boat and shoved her head into the water.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.